Limberlost #5: "i am not running that far"

*part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4*

i had the opportunity to run the 9km run with my boy and Dan.

we ran at Limberlost.

it was a fun time, and a great time for me to see just how this kid runs.

i couldn't keep up for the first few kilometers.

i didn't know how this was going to work - he was faster than me.

then he began to stop, 

he'd be talking so much that he'd begin walking and not realize he was no longer running.

these were sudden stops.

on a single trail sudden stops were going to be dangerous to anyone behind him.

then he got tired, and a little cranky...

then he was back to running and having fun, but i was now in the lead.

pacing himself was not his strength.

then there was his 10km run at Arrowhead with his dad.

they ran it in a time of 1hr 7min.

crazy fast...

no stopping...at all.

why?

mosquitoes and blackflies!

he was crazy excited for how fast he ran it.

now, we were in June.

he had had a busy track and field week.

he ran the 1500m race for school, and ran it in 8min.

he was so proud of himself for the run.  

then there was track and field day at school a couple days later.

he ran the 400m and the 800m.

he came in second in the 800m.

on the friday i ran my 12km at Limberlost.

what a great run it was.

hard, but so much fun.

at one point i thought that i was feeling so good i could maybe i'd run the whole 14km loop...

but by 10km i was so happy that i would be done in 2km.

On Saturday we knew it would be a hard day for the boy.

we were volunteering at an aid station for Band on the Run, 

and in the afternoon he'd be running his 12km.

he had been quite tired 

(busy week at school, still training and an early morning for volunteering)

Great morning cheering on the 10km and half marathon runners.

and dressing up.

for the afternoon the girl and i were going to the beach at Arrowhead as the boys ran their 12km along the trails.

this is what i wrote in my journal that night:

"the boy wanted to run after lunch.  He was worn out. so worn out.

after lunch we were able to get him going and get ready for his run.

...

when we saw the boys they were earlier than i expected...  

they had gone about 7km... of a run/hike...

it was probably the boy's toughest run yet.

he was cranky and too tired."

it was a rough day for him.

he never did get his 12km run in as that was to be his longest run before the race 

and they were tapering off after that.

to make sure he would be ready for Limberlost he needed to taper off when he did.

so the expectation was since he never got up to 12km it will be tough to finish the 14km at the race.

it will be tough anyway, 

but if he had been able to run the 12 it would have been a step in the right direction.

i am so crazy excited to run this race with my boy.

i have made him a shirt for the run..

something special for him.

that will be revealed to you after the run.

i am writing this entry on Thursday, July 6.

The Limberlost Challenge is happening on Saturday, July 8.

when you are reading this we will have already raced.

if things go wonderful, 

and without much discouragement or pain,

we are expecting about a 2hr 15m finish.

stay tuned! 

Limberlost #4: 'you still need to do it'

*see: part 1, part 2, part 3*

I told you about the 6km weekend we had.

the next runs were 3km road.

the boy struggled on his.

i don't know all the details but when they got back from their run he didn't want to talk about it.

he had been pretty tired even before they went out.

but he had been excited to go.

3km... 

"that should be pretty easy."

i'm sure that was in his mind...

it's in my mind when i know i can run farther than that...

however...

it was the first run after the 6km.

and on road.

i know he had to be encouraged to continue.

i went for my 3km and had a horrible run.

i hurt.

i didn't enjoy it.

but i also expect to have a rough run after i have already pushed myself the last one.

i was telling the kids about it later that day.

i was telling how i wanted to quit that run, but i kept pushing myself to complete it.

how my body didn't want to run but my mind knew it could do it.

my boy pipes up.

"even if it is hard, you still need to do it mom."

so true buddy.

if i want to train to run the Limberlost Challenge i need to push through those tough runs.

just as he is doing.

i love running.

seriously.

i hate running on road, 

or indoors...

give me a trail and it's wonderful!

hard
but wonderful.

i wish Arrowhead Provincial Park would re-open

*they close to get the campgrounds all cleaned and ready for the season*

 so that i could go run those trails...

thanks for the encouragement kid.
         

---to be continued..fast forward to June.

Limberlost #3: The Decision & marathon/6km weekend

**see part 1 here, part 2 here**

I received the email while the kids were at school.

i was so nervous to open it.

i honestly didn't know if i wanted them to say yes or no.

i was starting to doubt our encouragement of this.

but

he knew what he wanted to do and i really wanted my running buddy at the race.

they made the decision that he could run the race.

my feelings were crazy mixed.

but excitement definitely won out.

when i told him he was so excited.

i did inform them that he was not planning to win.
*he had already told me this information*

also that i would be with him the whole time.

they suggested starting in the third heat, near the back.

i let my boy decide.

he chose the second heat.

we will still start near the back.

i was truly alright with whatever decision would be made.

he is a nine year old boy.

most nine year old boys can't do the training needed for this event and distance.

although, most nine year old boys probably don't care to train for this distance.

i know they made what they believed to be the right decision.

do i believe that they could let in anyone below the minimum age just because the parent asks
 and says please?

no i do not.

do i believe that they should do it on a case by case basis?

yes i do.

for safety sake they can't have a whole bunch of little runners trying to race the course and finding out it is too long or hard.

am i thankful for the consideration and decision they gave our case?

truly i am.

i would have been sad but fully understanding if it was an immediate 'no - rules are rules.'  they have every right to say that.

thank you, powers-that-be, for considering allowing my boy the opportunity to race his favourite trail.

now to continue to prepare for it.

Fast forward to:

Easter weekend.

Many runners from Muskoka, and around the world, are heading to Boston for the marathon.

we are not in that elite group.

but this is a big weekend in our house for running.

saturday morning the boy and his dad took the dog

...not ours, but the one we are dog-sitting...

and drove to the Limberlost trails, for a fun trail run.

the boy would be running his longest distance yet.

Over the last couple years

the boy has run 5km about 5-6 times

band on the run, MARs fun runs, XC running club in the fall

He likes that distance.

but this year, 

to train for, and then run, the Limberlost Challenge

he will be breaking his furthest distance many times.

Saturday morning he, his dad and Daisy (the dog)

would be running 6km on a portion of the Limberlost trails.

it is a section the boy has never been on before but will be part of the 14km race loop.

he was so excited.

While at home i prayed for him.

i want him to be encouraged doing it.

it was supposed to rain and i really hoped it would hold off.

then i got the text that they were done.

a little over an hour.

When they got home i asked him how it went.

big smiles.

he said it was fun.

he admitted it was hard in sections, and that he got tired...

but...

it was fun!

that's what i wanted to hear.

the rain began as soon as he got home.

his dad told me that he did have to encourage the boy to keep running..

he would want to walk, 

but once he would get the encouragement he would continue running.

as i'm doing the same running schedule

my 6km day was on Easter Sunday.

after church we drove to the walking path i was planning to run.

it was pouring!

of course.

my family had their bikes with them and they would bike while i ran.

it was a wet run.

i was soaked.

it wasn't easy,

i haven't run more than 5km since the fall.

i have barely run further than 3km since then.

having my family biking with me, out there in the rain, was so encouraging.

my husband made the boy's training schedule and there are road days and trail days.

he has been informed that he may change any road run to a trail, but not the other way around.

he will be racing on a trail, he needs to be ready for that terrain.

he is happiest on a trail anyway so that won't be a problem.

so, as the elite gather in Boston, 

my boy is here at home breaking his own personal distances.

both are significant events for a runner.

*photo taken by Me with Gertie 

when they got home from the run.

Limberlost #2: the snag

**see part 1 here**

March.

it was nearing the end.

training was going well.

the boy was still positive he wanted to run Limberlost.

so i sat down one afternoon to register him and i.

my husband didn't know yet which race he'd be running.

I registered myself for The 2017 Limberlost Challenge 14km...

I went to register the boy...

'You need to be 12 to register for this event.'

i stared at the screen on my computer and felt my gut drop.

12?

i had checked everywhere on the site for a minimum age.

i hadn't seen one.

but i might have missed it.

with all the info that a site like that needs i may have missed it.

my boy looked at my computer screen and asked what that meant.

i had to tell him that he is too young.

you see my boy is 9.

He will be 10 in August, but that's still too young.

i did actually see tears in his eyes.

i understand age limits,

that's why i looked.

it's quite a distance for someone of his age to run,

and it's a safety and health concern if they have a course full of kids thinking they can run 14km,

and not being able to run it.

i understand completely.

but i told him i would just ask and see if there was a possibility.

i wrote to the coordinator and told him our situation.

i asked if there was any chance he could register,
but i completely understood if he couldn't.

rules are there for a reason.

i then went to talk to the boy.

i told him to keep training.

we'd hear back and no matter what..

if he could race, great.

if he couldn't, we'd go run the trail anyway at a different day.

he was good with that.

so we waited.

he continued to train with his dad.

not crazy distances yet.

his longest is currently 4km on a road.

he was quite tired, but i ran it the next day and was worse off than him.

we have a one km trail we
(i say we, but is was the boy and his dad)
made out back.

when they first made it last summer i referred to it as:
 the whole 14km Limberlost hills compacted into 1km.

it's tough.

quite steep and quite technical.

i find it exhausting.

and the snow and ice on it doesn't make it any easier.

it is a great training trail.

i received an email in response

the email was copied to the men who would make the final decision for the boy.
and there was an apology for not finding the age requirement,
as the website had just been revamped..
it did look amazing by the way.

but, we waited.

My excitement for his dream, and my race partner, was dwindling.

my fears that we were pushing him, were growing.

that he would not be able to do it and would be discouraged.

he is only 9.

should i have encouraged him?

i love watching him run, he is so happy to be doing it... but could he run 14km?

i know that trail...

the uphills drain the soul out of you...

ok, not really, but i wanted to make you know how i really feel about them.

i don't like waiting, 

but i did like that if he wasn't allowed to run it, it was from others, not me.

and if he was allowed, i'd sign him up.

i spent a lot of prayer about him and his dream ever since his training has begun.

i want him to be able to push past the frustration, and discouragement, and even some pain that comes with training for a long distance, without pushing his 9 year old body too far.

my husband and i had agreed to wait for the decision.
if it was yes, we'd sign him up, 

and encourage him.

but for now...

2km trail run time.

...to be continued

Limberlost: the boy's dream

So, The Limberlost Challenge was run today.
what a beautiful day for it.

before i tell you how the day actually went let me take you back and share with you a little history.

**written back in April**


The boy.

he has attended The Limberlost Challenge for 3 years.

cheered on his daddy in the 56km 3x

and cheered on his mommy in the 14km 2x.

He has cheered on his parents at Band on the Run multiple times.

half marathons, 10km races.

He has run the kids' 1km and the 5km race 2x.

He has cheered on his daddy at the North Face Endurance 50mile race.

he has run the kids' 1km at it.

He has run cross country at 3 school races.

he has run the 1500m race for his school track and field day.

he has spontaneously decided to run a trail when we went for a hike.

he has told us many times that running on trails is his favourite thing...

and what he loves about it is..

running on a trail.

so..

when The Limberlost Challenge finished last year he told us he wanted to run it in 2017.

what a cool dream.

sure, 

if he wanted to do it, 

his dad would work out a training schedule for him but not until the spring.

i don't know if i thought he would forget, 

or if i just didn't realize how serious he was.

but, all winter he talked about how he was going to run Limberlost.

i would run with him.

his dad had some health issues since last summer,

so running wasn't happening.
i had also slacked in my running,
so the current runner in the family was the boy,
who ran X-Country in the fall.

a training schedule was never made for him, 

but his dream lived on.

so..

March happened.

his dad was feeling better and sat down and figured out a run schedule.

since his dad hadn't run for a long time, and wasn't sure how far he could even run, 

they would train together.

around March Break they began. 

3 runs a week.

when his dad gets home from work, they head out for 2 of the runs.

the third one is on Saturdays.

and you know what...

seeing my boy's excitement, 

seeing his dad running with him,

i knew i had to begin training so i can keep up with my little Limberlost Runner.

so i am doing the same schedule as my boy currently...

I signed up for the 14km last week.

but,

 we hit a snag in the boy's dream.

Small Group Bible Study

i have been in some sort of small group Bible study for many years now.

i was in one when i was College age.

i lead one after i got married and i was helping with the youth at our church.

i was in one with the young adults.

i was in one when our young adults group split and we moved in for Dan to lead the study at another group.

after we led the study the leader of the group left and we stayed.

our current small group is the same group that has been remade... 

people have left, people have come, but the core group of us have stayed.

we get together every two weeks.

we have switched nights, times and, when the study requires it, we have gone to every week.

it took me a while to feel comfortable to open up to the group - especially when new people arrive.  

our group is a mixture of:

 those who were raised in the protestant church.

those who were raised in the Catholic church but received Christ as their savior and now live out the Protestant faith.

those who were raised in no church and accepted Christ into their lives as adults.

those who have seen many struggles and survived them from their own persistance and determination.

those who have seen many struggles but have stayed true to their Saviour 

- amidst questioning but drawing close to Him - 

those who have walked away from the Christian Faith, only to make the decision to do an about face and come running back to Him.

those who have stayed close to God through their young life to question Him for a time as an adult.

those who are raising the first generation, in their family, in the church.

those who are raising the second+ generation in the church and in faith of Jesus Christ.

we are made up of a group of people from different backgrounds.  

who have messed up.  

who still sometimes mess up.  

who are not perfect.  

who like to think they're perfect but deep down know they're not.  

who make mistakes.  

who admit their wrongs - even if it's just to their spouses.  

but we all have one thing in common.

we love Jesus Christ.  

we know He is God's Son.  

that He came to earth as a babe (why we celebrate Christmas).  

lived as a man.  

died a gruesome death after being falsely accused.  

was buried in a tomb.  

but... defeated death!  

He rose again!  

He did it for me he did it for you.  

he did it for the romans who put him on the cross.  

he did it for the Jews who were scared of him and his teaching.  

he did it for everyone in this world.  

so that we could have a personal relationship with God, and have eternal life 

- going to heaven when we leave this world -

our small group is made up of people who are thankful for what he did. 

who strive to live for Him each day.  

we screw up... but we are forgiven. 

 Jesus was our sacrifice.  

wanna know what i love about my small group?

i'm gonna tell you anyway, so either stop reading now or sit back and enjoy reading my thoughts.

i have been raised going to church.

my mom adores Jesus and made sure to take my brother and i to church each week.

i did sunday school, i did youth group, i volunteered,

i attended the main service, i went to the evening services, 

i worked at a Christian summer camp, i went to a one year Bible college,

i worked at a mennonite camp...

i asked Jesus to come into my life when i was little.

i have been surrounded with church and churchiness for as long as i have memories.

i am in this small group now.

about half the group met Jesus when adults and the rest of us have known Him most of your lives.  

i love that.

i will be honest with you right now.

telling people about Jesus scares me.  

i have been immersed in the faith since i was wee, 

but sharing it in words has always put an amount of fear in me...

fear i'll say the wrong thing or not know the answers...

this fear does not come from Jesus it comes from my humanity and from Satan.

i am a very relational person.

i want my daily life and actions to separate me from those who don't believe, 

so they will want to know what makes me different.

i'm more comfortable to live this way...

it is not necessarily the best way...

sometimes i need to step out out of my comfort zone.

the people in my small group who met jesus as adults can see the urgency, 

the importance of sharing this Jesus they adore with those around them.

they have an excitement about inviting others to things.

they have a passion to share with others.

are they afraid?

at times, yes.

but you know the difference between me and them?

they do it.

they tell others..or invite others.

i can't sleep, i sweat, i feel nauseous...

but those others.

when they tell their stories, 

when i hear them get excited...

it encourages me.

i feel the same excitement.

i may have been immersed in the church, 

and maybe i can answer some of their questions about the Scriptures, 

i know the answer, of what i should be doing and why, 

but the newer Christians...

the ones that didn't grow up in the church...

these people in my small group.

they encourage me with their passion to share with others, 

as they were shared with not too long ago.

their faith in Jesus...

it's amazing to hear them talk about it.

i know it goes both ways.

there are most likely things about my life, 

my knowledge in Jesus, 

my long-standing faith in Him,

that encourage them.

every one of us in our small group comes from a different past.

we all have a different story before and since we fell in love with Jesus.

we all have different struggles in our faith.

some have the same struggles.

we can all encourage each other.

we can all pray for, and with, each other.

we can support each other as we travel this thing called life.

i am so thankful for my small group.

for each of the people, 

the variety of personalities, 

the different stages of our lives, 

the different stages in our walk with Jesus.

if you are a follower of Christ i encourage you to find a small group Bible study that you can be a part of.

find one that you determine to be able to open up and share with them one day.

you do not have to share your most intimate secrets with them at the first meeting, 

but as you pray together, share together, learn together, 

over time you will want to share with them.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)

i was thinking about this as i was digging in my garden, 

but had to stop to come in and write it.

this may be a mumble jumble of thoughts, 

but when i was digging, i had written the most eloquent blog post...

but...

this is what you get!

School Days *round 2*: Gr 2

age: 7 (8 in the new year)

year in school: 4

grade: 2

class: 2s only

ok, i'm finally writing this in March 2017...

um, 

in case you missed it, 

the school year actually began in September 2016.

i'm a little behind.

oh well.

my little one.

my girl.

so full of life and love.

She could not have been happier when she found out her teacher.

unless she had the chance to stay with her gr. 1 teacher of course 

She had the same teacher that her brother had when he was in grade 2.

she is still at the age that it is exciting to follow your brother through the teachers.

*i remember grade 4 being so exciting to have a teacher that didn't already know my brother*

She has enjoyed this school year.

a class full of friends.

a crazy, excited class, full of energy.

for a girl who is full of energy that is perfect for her.

she loves reading, writing, art, music, drama and math.

she likes gym.

she loves to learn new things.

she loves that her teacher is an avid birdwatcher.

she loves to see birds and be able to tell him what she saw.

side note:

a chicadee landed on her finger recently and all she could talk about was how she would get to tell her teacher all about it.   

then she laughed ,as she went on and on about the bird,  and said, "i'm just like Mr. G, talking about birds all the time!"

My little one enjoys going to school in the mornings.

but she also love the weekends.

She always comes home with stories about her friends, the teachers, different activities they did.

she loves to share what she's learned.

she has had a few struggles in the friendship department.

girls.

gah!

girls and their girl-ness.

friends one moment...

not anymore...

not unless you...

ok, we can be friends again...

why are you playing with her and not me...

i'll give you this if you,,,

we have walked this road with her this year.

she has come home upset, mad, thinking it's silly.

we pray about it.

we discuss what can be done.

we make choices with our girl to walk this road called life together.

she is strong.

she wants to be friends with who she wants to.

she doesn't want the drama that some people bring to life.

but, she also wants people to like her.

she doesn't like to be manipulated...

but she kinda wants that thing they're offering.

she has been growing a lot this year on the social side of life.

her school work is great.

she is still learning a lot from her teacher, and the other teachers who do classes with her.

she loves social studies.

i seriously think it's a favourite this year.

my girl.

you are on March Break.

you will be 8 tomorrow, 

and i'm excited to see how strong you finish off your grade 2 year.

keep being you, 

with your contagious personality, 

with your unique sense of style,

with your love for God and others.

XC Ski

i have a boy.

last winter we obtained xc skis, poles and boots for him.

his daddy took him out and taught him basics of xc skiing.

we had an excited boy.

fast forward to this winter.

he could not wait to do some xc skiing when the snow came.

his daddy and he went skiing a few times, and this year he began to improve on his classic skiing and also began to learn how to skate ski.

so excited.

he was loving it.

then the opportunity came for him to sign up for an elementary school XC ski race.

at the end of january he raced in a classic race with other grades 3/4 boys.

he finished 33rd out of 68 boys.

he did his 2km loop in 16:35.

he had so much fun.

he didn't care if he came in first, or even in the top ten.

he loved being out on the trail, doing something he has grown to love.

and the weather was spectacular as well.

beautiful sunshine.

last friday he had the opportunity to do his second race.

chilly day.

cloudy, and that wind...

brrrrr.

we forgot his ski boots.

the rental ones didn't fit comfortably...

we live 5 minutes away and we had time so i headed home and got his boots   

-sitting right where his skis had been-

when i made it back he still had plenty of time to play around before the 1/2 boys and girls raced.

then it was his time.

this race was classic and skate.

he said he would just classic, 

but then as he watched the 1/2s race he said he may do a little skate, 

since that's a lot of fun.

i waited for him at the finish line.

there were kids coming in that i thought he could have been in before, 

so i wondered how he was doing.

was he too tired?

did he fall?

was he  having a rough time?

finally i saw my little man skiing along.

he finished 57th out of 64 grade 3/4 boys.

finishing his 2km in 23:13

did he have a rough time?  

nope.

he was so happy when he finished.

he was tired, but i got to hear his adventure.

he told me that the basket on the end of his pole fell off.

when he noticed he was about half way.  

he turned around and went back to look for it.

he said it was back where the 1/2s turn off and head to the finish.

then he put the basket back on. 

and continued on his way.

what a kid.

he didn't want to lose the basket.

*he didn't know that his dad had an extra pole at the house, or that his teacher would have gone out to look for it after the races*

he skied a lot further than his race distance, 

and still had fun.

and then still went and played around with all the other kids.

i am so proud of this kid.

he enjoyed the races.

i loved watching him.

he loved finding out how fast he did it in.

he loves figuring out what position he came in.

he would like to one day win, but he wants to have fun.

he wants to enjoy the races.

he knows some kids will be fast.

he knows some kids will do the sport a lot and train a lot.

after one of his friends raced, he had to go find him to tell him good job.

way to go kid.

Jour de neige numéro six

Seriously.

it is the 6th bus cancellation day in January.

last week they were cancelled tues, wed, thurs.

this week... 

buses cancelled tues, wed, thurs.

so far 

*insert 2017's evil laugh here*

last week 

tuesday i kept the kids home.

wednesday i kept them home.

thursday i drove them to school.

this week

tuesday i kept them home.

wednesday i drove them to school.

today i kept them home.

first:

 i didn't feel like fighting them to get them ready for school.

which i knew would happen, as at bed time last night, they had already voiced that if it was a snow day they would like to pleeeease stay home.

secondly:

i was tired.

i stayed up too late and i knew i'd be a grumpy bear if they gave me the littlest argument.

thirdly:

i was going to do some snowday homeschooling with them.

it was going to work, 

it was going to be the most fun ever.

we were going to have a jolly ol' time.

so to begin our day

i let them sleep and began to plan how i wanted the day to go.

what did i want them to learn today?

when they got up 

*at the same time somehow*

i informed them that we were doing school at home.

my boy nodded,

"uh, ok"

my girl...

"no i'm not!" 

and stormed to her room.

i told her either get dressed and ready to go to school or we'll do school here at home, her choice.

not long after she came out and i laid out the day for them.

first, i would shower and get dressed and they could play.

then we'd have breakfast and do Bible time.

Bible Time

i have been working on teaching my kids about the armour of God.  

Therefore, put on the full armour of God, 

so that when the day of evil comes, 

you will be able to stand your ground,

and after you have done everything,

to stand.

Stand firm then,

with the belt of truth buckled round your waist,

with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

In addition to all this, 

take up the shield of faith,

with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit,

which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

With this in mind, be alert and always keep praying for all the saints.

Ephesians 6:13-18

today we finished with the Sword of the Spirit

and then concluded by praying through the verses we had for each piece of armour.

i told the kids that it was actually nice to have the time to not feel rushed but to have all the time we needed to complete the study we did.

i sent them to play as i figured out what to do for their math time.

i wanted it to be interesting and fun.

for some, math and fun do not mix...

for my kids i knew it could.

i went on the headache that is pinterest to get ideas.

i printed off a couple Number of the Day sheets and gave them each their own number.

then i got out the dominoes, two dice and graph paper.

it was time for math!

they each did their number of the day page.

when that was done i had something special for each of them.

the boy:

he got the graph paper and the dice.

he would roll the dice.  

with the two numbers showing he would draw on the graph paper # x # 

then solve the problem by counting the squares.

the girl:

would pick a random domino and writing down the problem, add the two numbers.

they each, at some point, said to themselves

"this is fun."

that made me smile.

Time for Language Arts

it's Thursday, and Thursday means mail!

they had to write a rough copy of a note to someone.

my boy wrote to his great grandma and the girl wrote to her grandma.

i edited (with them) their rough copy.

they then filled out a final card to be mailed.

after they were done their card they were to journal or, in the boy's case, continue writing a story.

outside for Recess! 

and the melt down began.

it was not a fun recess.

it ended with one kid coming in in tears and sending himself to his room.

the other i sent to her room for a little break until everyone was calmer and i would get lunch ready.

the situation was resolved and lunch was enjoyed.

after lunch they sat at the computer for art.

*we did take a wee break as another meltdown happened.*

then they did get their drawings done.

reading.

i had one read out loud to me as the other one did their chores and then read independently.

then we switched.

i loved listening to these two read out loud.

they are getting so confident in their reading.

second last subject:

Français.

yep, i decided to tackle french.

i have one kid who doesn't take any french yet and one who is in his second year of it.  

*only because he was in a 3/4 split last year and enjoyed it with the grade 4s*

as of the beginning of the day i had told them if we were counting at all it had to be in french.

that was fun.

i had printed off 3 work-sheets each.

we did some conversation french on our first page.

second was a word find but that was just extra.

the third was colors.

simple, yet they enjoyed them.

last class of the day...

Home economics 

haha

tonight we are having meatloaf.

so, the kids helped me make it...

actually they prepared it completely.

it will be going in the oven soon.

after making the meatloaf we sat at the table and i thanked them for a great day.

they both had fun.

they asked if we can do it again on the next snow day.

i'm not a home school mom.

but i enjoyed my day today.

now they are watching Alice in Wonderland in the living room and i am sharing this day with you.

side note: 

the kids weren't the only ones with a meltdown today...

but we all survived, no meltdown lasted long.