I just added this cool new plug-in. I don’t get that many comments (I’d like to get more ) but sometimes I want to respond and I am not sure how. Should I reply in my comments so everyone can see the comment? But then I wonder if the commenter will ever even see it. I usually end up just emailing the person back, but then it doesn’t make for a very good conversation in the comment section. This plug-in lets you respond in the comment section and also automatically emails a copy to the original commenter. Pretty cool, huh? Now if I could just get a few more comments…….

A few months ago I heard about the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer from a friend’s blog. People were just raving about the books. It was written by an author from BYU who happens to be LDS. It was geared towards a more young adult audience, but people my age were loving it too. I checked it out on Amazon.com and decided to order the 2 books in the series–Twilight and New Moon. I had no idea I would be hooked so fast!

I read both of them over the course of a few days, which is a feat in itself for me! I meet monthly with my book group, and almost always read the book. But, I can’t seem to read much more than one book a month. I just have too much going on. But, I read both books in a few days. I couldn’t wait for the next book to come out. As soon as it did I devoured that one too.

Now I am anxiously waiting for the last book in the series, Breaking Dawn, to come out! I pre-ordered it on Amazon months ago, but now I am having second thoughts When Harry Potter came out, they has some special so that it would arrive to you on the day it came out. It doesn’t look like they are doing that with Breaking Dawn. It comes out on August 2nd, so I probably won’t get it until Monday. Which is probably all for the best anyway. I am playing in a golf tournament on Friday and Saturday. It probably wouldn’t help my golf game to stay up all night Friday night reading

I can’t wait to get it and find out what happens. My sister-in-law is getting a hotel room with a few of her friends so they can have a read-a-thon. I wish I could join them!!

UPDATE: I just checked Amazon.com and my order is now showing release date delivery! Woooo Hoooo! Now I just have to control myself and not stay up all night so I can play well in my tournament.

This week was a Utah holiday–Pioneer Day. We met some friends at the Bees Game to watch a little baseball and see the fireworks. Here are a few pictures from our outing.

Please visit Lotus at Sarcastic Mom to view all the Weekly Winners participants.

Ever since I have been mountain biking I have heard people rave about the downhill at Deer Valley. My last experience of riding the lifts and biking down was not a good one, so I was a little hesitant to try it again. Our friend Alex has been trying to get us to come with him for a while now. He called this week and said he was going with a bunch of guys. I decided I was ready to try it. I got Lindsey to come with us, so I wouldn’t be the only girl!

I have gotten so much better at mountain biking. The uphill is still my strength, but I have gotten better at the downhill too. I am not nearly as timid and scared as I used to be. I have gotten better at taking more risks. But, I was still nervous about what the trails would be like, and how I would do

I had so much fun! We started out on Nail Driver, which was an intermediate trail. It had a lot of roots and rocks to ride over, and quite a few banking switchbacks. The switchback were great for me because the were designed for speed, so they were not very tight, but some of them were pretty technical. They were great practice for me, and did just about all of them on every run.

There was a really fun section in the middle with some fun stunts. There was an elevated path that I did a few times. There was also a teeter totter, which I was a total chicken on I did the teeter totter a bunch of times at the Dirt Series camp, but today I just didn’t do it.

I was really happy with how I did. It was great practice for me, since downhill is still my weakness. But, it was fun to see how much I have progressed. I rode so many things today that I never would have done last year. And I had fun while doing them!

Our interview at Soaring Wings Montessori went really well. Ian was right at home in the Montessori classrooms. He tried out a few of their works. As usual he gravitated to the practical life areas. He wanted to play with the water works, but since it was summer none of the water works had water in them. He was thrilled to see the computer in the classroom, and wanted to spend time playing with that. While he played the director and I talked while she observed him. She loved him. He was his usual charming self. He carried on conversations with her. He was so excited to see the animals in the classroom. When they saw the gecko, Ian yelled “Hey, that is a leopard gecko, just like the gecko we have at our school.” I think she was impressed that he knew what a leopard gecko was

I talked to her about the reasons I wanted to move him. I explained how he does great in the classroom, but struggles when the surroundings get chaotic. I told her he has been struggling on the playground. She watched him and told me he seems like a totally normal 4 1/2 year old boy. She said she said based on our visit she thought he would do wonderfully in their school. I think he will do well too.

The main difference I see with the two schools is the way they deal with problems. Soaring Wings has a plan when they encounter problems. They talk about them to the student, then they talk to the parents and explain how they are going to work on it in the classroom, and what the parents can do at home. My friends have experienced this throughout their kids years at Soaring Wings. I also think they are more structured and more strict Montessori. I think it will all work out better for Ian.

I am feeling good about the move. I think it will be better for Ian. I think he needs a fresh start with new teachers. I think he needs to get away from the situation where the teachers are expecting him to act out. I am sure that he will have issues at the new school as well, but I am confident that they will be able to help him work through them.

Ian and Emma have been going to camp at Little Miners last week and this week. It has been a nice break for me, but it hasn’t been going very well for Ian.

Last year, his first introduction to school was at Little Miners camp. He struggled when he started. He was thrilled to go, and had no problems saying goodbye. But, he had a hard time controlling himself at school. He was active and too physical with the other kids. But once school started he calmed down, and the physical issues decreased. He did great in the classroom–he was extremely focused and really loved all the Montessori works. Academically he excelled. Where he struggled was on the playground where there wasn’t as much supervision. He does well with structure, but when it gets more relaxed and chaotic he has a hard time controlling himself. He isn’t mean spirited, he just gets really hyper and wiggly. He waves his arms around and sometimes hits people. He starts doing his “karate routine” and just forgets how to act around other people.

I think this has been a big part of his issues this summer at camp. The environment is much more relaxed and less structured. The playground is more chaotic. There are new kids that have never attended a Montessori school. Ian has already spent a year there, so the teachers are expecting him to be a good example to the other kids. But, so far that hasn’t happened.

The fist day he had an issue in the sandbox. The teachers told me he kicked sand in some kids’ faces. I asked Ian about it. He told me they were making a sand cake. He asked if he could make it with them. They said no, so he kicked sand at them. I talked to him about it, and we went over better options. I asked him what he could do, and he said next time he would say “That isn’t very nice. I’d really like to play with you.” I’m not sure what the teachers said to him, but I know that they had him sit in the office until the end of the day–about 2 hours. When I picked him up the teachers never said anything to me. I just assumed he had a good day.

The second day Sue B. stopped me when I picked him up. She told him about the previous day. She said that he hadn’t gotten to eat popsicles like the other kids, and that he had spent “most of the last 2 afternoons in the office”. The second day while he was in “time out” in the office he crawled under the desk and ate someones chips. I definitely think his behavior requires discipline, but I am not pleased with spending the afternoons in the office.

First of all, he isn’t learning anything by sitting in the office. When the school has a problem, I feel like they should come to me and say “Here is the problem, and here is what we are going to do about it.” Instead, I feel like they just tell me about it, with no solutions. Sue B. keeps telling me about him, and she just looks exasperated when she talks about him. I’m worried that he is being labeled the “bad kid” and no matter what happens, it must be Ian’s fault.

Last week he told me one of the boys had punched him. He went to the teachers and told them. They didn’t see what happened, but Ian got a time out again.

Today he got in trouble again for hitting someone. The teachers just told me he punched someone, and he spent the afternoon in the office. When I asked them about it, they just rolled their eyes and said he was up to the same old stuff. When I asked Ian about it I got a different story. He told me they were play fighting–which I don’t think they should have been doing in the first place. He said they both hit each other, but when Ian hit the other boy he cried. Ian went back to the office.

It makes me sad to hear that Ian is struggling. Nobody wants to hear that their child is having a hard time getting along with others. But I am worried that the school isn’t doing enough to help him learn from his mistakes. They aren’t giving him any alternatives or any lessons. They are just sending him to the office. I am worried for him, and thinking that Little Miners just might not be the best fit for him.

There is another Montessori school in town that everybody raves about. They seem like they follow a more strict Montessori curriculum. I have two close friends who send their kids there. They are opening a new school right down the street from our house. They have space available, and I am thinking about moving him there. I thought about switching there at the end of last year. Scott and I discussed it, but we felt that the last part of the year had gone well and so we would leave him where he was.

I just want to make the right decision for Ian. I am not condoning his behavior in any way. I don’t think it is OK for him to hit other kids. I just want the school to be more proactive. I want them to have solutions to the problems he is having. I want them to help him avoid the situations that lead to rough play. I think he needs more supervision on the playground and more direction. When they see him getting involved in an activity that could lead to him getting too physical, I want them to talk to him and redirect him to better activities. I want him to learn better ways to interact with other kids. I think that is part of what preschool is for.

I have a meeting set up at the new school tomorrow. I think we will go and have the interview and just see how it all feels tomorrow.

I like the first photo. The rest are definitely not photographic masterpieces, but they are some fun memories.

Please visit Lotus at Sarcastic Mom to view all the Weekly Winners participants.

Old Red Barn Co is giving away this quilt. It is so beautiful! I love the fabrics. I think it would look awesome in Emma’s room.

Enter by July 22nd to try to win it yourself! Click here to enter.

I saw this on a friend’s blog and thought I’d try it too. Maybe some of you who read all the time but never comment will leave me a memory

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn’t matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! Since this is our family blog, feel free to leave a memory about any of us.

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. I look forward to the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I’ll assume you’re playing the game, and I’ll come to your blog and leave one about you.

We have been having a great summer. I think I am enjoying it even more because it was such a long time coming! We had snow at the beginning of June and I thought that the weather was never going to cooperate. But, finally summer is definitely here.

And I have been fully taking advantage of the great weather. Since we joined Jeremy CC I started playing with the Ladies Association every Tuesday. I also joined their team, and have played a few team matches. It has been so nice to be back out there playing golf again. I am nowhere near the player I used to be. I have only broken 80 once this summer, and it was just in a casual round with my dad. I have been a bit frustrated about it, but I am trying to be patient with myself. I know that eventually it will come back. Right now I just have too many other things to devote my time to, and I am just trying to enjoy being out there.

Speaking of other things that I have been doing…..I have been mountain biking a ton. I have been riding about 3-4 times a week. I have really made a breakthrough this summer. I have gotten in so much better shape and it has made the rides so much more fun. Now I can enjoy the rides instead of trying not to die on the trail. Yesterday I did the Glenwild Loop with Vicky and Yori. I hadn’t done that trail since the middle of last summer. I was shocked at how much better I did–both in regards to fitness and my skills. Last year I can remember stopping because I felt like I was going to die. I also walked almost all the switchbacks and down some of the steep sections because I was scared. Yesterday I was like a different rider. I did most of the switchbacks and the steep parts didn’t even seem hard. I am really having a great time, and I am getting in shape at the same time.

Besides all the things I have been doing for myself, I have had a busy schedule with the kids. They just finished up their 4th week of swimming lessons. The last session I did a mom and me class with Nora. She had a great time. She loved the water. He most favorite part was jumping in off the side of the pool. After the first class, she didn’t want to do any of the other things. She kept yelling and squealing. She just wanted to get over to the side and jump in. She is so determined and stubborn!

This week Emma and Ian are going to summer camp at Little Miners. Today was the first day, and they had a great time. I am looking forward to a little break too. Running errands is difficult with 3 kids in tow!

Scott has been busy too. He has been working more than normal. He hasn’t been traveling as much as normal, but he has been working a lot at home. He has had time to do some fun things too. He did two centuries on his road bike–the Salt Lake Century and The MS 150. This past weekend he did the Porcupine hill climb. I was really proud of him for completing that! He is going a surf trip with his buddies from California in a few weeks, and then he has his big Ireland trip coming up.

All in all, it has been a great summer. It is flying by, and I can’t believe that in just a little over a month the kids will be back at school!