We're really movin' now....

We are in the middle of our seventh week of school already.

It seems to be going by at a very quick pace.

We have a lot packed into this year's curriculum

and we are never without something to work on.

Scotty working on some cursive.

Maya has completed her first research paper of the year.
She wrote about the amazing Benjamin Franklin.

We were going to enter her finished work in the 

Creative Communications essay contest,

but it was longer than the allowable entry.

 I think it's written too well to cut it 

and I know that there will be plenty of other papers 

she'll be able to enter. :)

Scotty has finished the book for his book club meeting

that happens at the end of September.

He read How To Eat Fried Worms

by Thomas Rockwell.

When I asked him what he thought of it,

he simply said, "It was gross."

I'm not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing,

but I do know that he read it in less than a week,

so at the very least, it held his attention.

Maya is struggling with The Hobbit

by J.R.R. Tolkien.

She's making slow, steady progress,

(Wow... I don't think I've ever used the word 'slow'

 pertaining to Maya and reading before...)

and will hopefully complete it in time for her meeting.

I got the expected eye roll from her when she asked me

why she had to read it if she didn't really like it

and I told her it was good for her to read all sorts of books.

Her reaction is only a reassuring reminder that 

life is as it should be.

We are no longer hanging out at the pool 

with our home school friends,

but the kids are still getting their feet wet.

In August, they were evaluated by a coach

and placed on the New Wave Swim Team.
This is a really big team...at least by our standards.
We've decided that things are just bigger on the east coast.
There are about 450 kids on this team,
95 of them make up the two groups
 that Maya and Scott have joined.

On September 7th, Scott attended his first practice,

and on the 8th, Maya went to hers.

Guess where Maya's happy place is?

THE POOL!

And she's working her tail off, too.

After she concluded her third practice last week,

she was exhausted but grinning.

In the car she said to me,

"I feel really good. That was a lot of fun."

That was music to my ears.

Squished eyebrows.

We bought the required kick boards and swim fins

before practices started.

They thought the flippers were ridiculous
until they swam in them the first time.
Scott told me,
"I turned my head to breathe and saw
how fast the wall was moving.
I was zooming!"
Maya used them to her advantage yesterday
while doing a streamline/lung strengthening exercise.
(This means that her arms were in front of her,
one hand on top of the other. She only used her legs
to propel her through the water.)
She was able to do a full 25,
(one length of the pool)
completely underwater without taking a single breath.
I was surprised when she did it the first time,
but then she did it another three
and I was worried I'd need someone stronger than myself
to carry her to the car after she passed out.

Last Sunday,
the four of us attended the New Wave Kick Off Day
at Triangle Aquatics Center.
After two hours at the pool,
we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant
and had an early dinner.

Scott's shirt has a quote on it from Willie Mays.
It says:
"It isn't hard to be good from time to time in sports.
What's tough is being good every day."

We will be at the pool once on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays,
and twice on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Both Maya and Scott began a martial arts program as well
and go to classes each Wednesday.
Those are some crazy days, Wednesdays.
We leave the house at 3:45 and don't get home until 8:30. :)

What's this I'm constantly hearing about home schooled kids
being sheltered?
What's this I'm constantly hearing about home schooled kids
missing out on socialization?
Rubbish, that's what that is.
Just ask Maya and Scott.
They'll tell you. :)