Meet My Friend Brainiac

We had an episode in our house on Wednesday, and we never got around to studying Keagan's spelling list. He told me not to worry; he would study before school with Dalton. "Mom, this kid is a brainiac! He will definitely help me at before school care! He studies for a whole fifteen minutes before going to gym time. I mean this kid is so smart that he can't take the minus fours on his paper or he cries. Me? I'm like minus four? I'll take it."

That's my boy! We promote and encourage academic mediocrity every chance we get. By the way, I'm so over spelling lists! Only nine more weeks and both of the boys will be in middle school, and I will never have to review spelling words again!

Ready or Not the Spring Sport Season is Here

We kicked off the AAU basketball season today and brought home our first championship of the season. It was great to see these guys on the courts together again; our closest game was a still a win by more than thirty points. After almost twelve hours sitting in the stands, though, I'm sure my tailbone will never be the same. 

In between games two and three we played Undergroynd Playground at Escape Game and we escaped! 

Wes and Keagan solved a puzzle, I designed a method for retrieving lost ping pong balls, and Evan used his shooting skills to release a lever. Great fun! 

Next weekend we head outdoors to play soccer. Spring and our crazy schedule have returned in full force. I'm more than ready, the boys better be ready, and Wes is almost ready. (That man misses his couch and his whiskey on Saturday nights.) Let our Crazy begin.

Just "A Dusting"

Just a dusting. So we were told yesterday morning. By afternoon, I was driving through Narnia slipping and sliding across the interstate watching everyone else slide off into the ditch. Twenty-four hours later, and it is still snowing. 

We have a couple of inches on the ground and another one or three on its way tonight. The boys are enjoying their snow break; Wes and I had to go to work. Today was the first time I've had to drive in falling snow since we lived in Germany twelve years ago. And I was not happy about it! You can call me spoiled, but I prefer southerner. We have another night of cancelled practices and another night in front of the tv...together!

Heart with a Capital H

Keagan has a heart of gold. He's empathetic and loves to help people (or animals) in need. 

Today at lunch I checked my voicemail to find this message: 

"Mrs. Toole, this is Mrs. C from RES. I'm calling to tell you how impressed I am with Keagan. Today I observed a class and saw him encouraging a special needs child. He was so thoughtful and willing to go out of his way to make him feel included. Thank you for raising such an awesome kid!"

Since I've only heard from a principal one other time and that was when Evan broke a cafeteria spoon, I was shocked to hear such a positive message. But this is why my kids attend public school. This is what life is all about- learning to live with different people and modeling for others acceptance and empathy. This is Keagan's mission field, even if it is only a hockey game in the school gym. I'm so proud of him. Grades, athletic skill, test scores all pale in comparison. Nothing can be more important than having a  heart and a willingness to make a positive impact on the lives of others. 

Evan's Secret Talent

Most people know Evan is a talented athlete. He can play soccer, throw a football, and has almost perfected the fade away, but few people know he has a great talent in his ability to argue. I'm serious. My boy of few words becomes verbose and thrives with a good debate. He argues with Wes about immigration, gun control, teen suicide, or the probability of rain until Wes gets so frustrated he yells, " Shut your mouth! You know nothing!" 

Today, in creative dramatics, a mandated class that Evan has found useless until today, he got to role play in a presidential debate. He played the role of Cruz. "Trump", aka a 13 year old peer, began the debate with a bold statement, "All Muslims will be expelled from the U.S. when I become president." Evan countered, and the boy claimed "too many Muslims are associated with ISIS and we can't take the risk of anyone harming us." The class cheered.

Evan said he looked at the black kids and argued that some black people are members of gangs so maybe this means we should imprison all blacks. Then he looked at the Latinos and explained that some Mexicans are members of a drug cartel so we should send all Mexicans back home. When everyone disagreed, Evan asked, "Then how can we say all Muslims are bad? We can't blame a group of people of actions that just a few are actually guilty."

The crowd cheered again and Evan won with a vote of 18 to 2. When retelling the events this afternoon, his face was full of expression and excitement. You could totally see he was in his element debating...and winning. 

I foresee a debate team in our near future. 

Sledding Until Night Fall

The boys got one more day of sledding in before the ice and snow began to melt. 

I made a killer pot of jambalaya. I cleaned toilets. And I did this. If my freezers filled with prepared meals don't indicate exactly how much free time I have had, then certainly this picture does. 

I had to work hard to get it, too. He kept flying away as soon as I opened the back door. 

We are ready to return to a routine, but we will welcome another winter storm in about three weeks. After all, we have a few more snow days to use before spring arrives. 

Snow Day #4

Another snow day here in Tennessee but you won't hear any of us complaining. We have worked from home, cooked, played, relaxed, read, slept, and enjoyed not having a reason to get up each morning. Snow totals only reached six inches, but it was packed down enough today for the boys to go sledding.

I'm certain another batch of snow cream is in order. Perhaps another batch of cookies and possibly a movie will also make the to-do list.