Back to Tae Kwon Do

After 10 days! I received a text from Mr. Fox and I explained Kendall wasn't feeling well after Spring Break. Around 50 kids tonight!

Buenas noches!

Piano Tuesday

Work day for me in NJ. I arrived at 8:15am and headed back at 3:10pm. I made it home a little after 5pm. As I drove down our cul-de-sac, I saw Kendall walking CK. 

I had 1/2 of my sandwich from lunch - a panini called El Cubano. Kendall loved it. He is learning about the Civil War in Social Studies and I convinced Kendall to practice his spelling before his piano.  He had a great piano lesson. He did a great job! 

We headed to bed just a little bit early. 

Buenas noches!

Back to work and school

No Tae Kwon Do since Kendall aaid he wasn't still feeling well. Math and spelling homework but Kendall did not want to do spelling with me :-(  He did finally give me pictures he drew the week before Spring Break. 

So he went to bed early and I watche Supergirl.

Buenas noches!

Happy Easter...

We went to the early church service and we were not needed to serve but Daniel who was filling in as acolyte learned from Kendall how to light the candles.  Kendall was very excited since the student became the teacher.  We met Adrienne and Carlos at his service and they gave Kendall his Easter basket and even prepared an Easter meal for us.   Adrienne even found a Costa Rica drink!  We gave Adrienne the tie dye cookies and her birthday gift.  They are spending time with Adrienne's dad since he was just discharged from the hospital Saturday.  He is feeling very weak and although we had planned to share the Easter meal together, precious time with her father is more important.  We are so grateful for them! 

We ran to store and were home before the second service started - that never happens.  We enjoyed the afternoon (with Smallville of course).  By early evening, Adrienne texted that her dad had passed away this afternoon. She posted that this was her dad's favorite holiday.   Kendall is trying to understand that he was here one minute and gone another and looked very shocked when I told him.

Mr. Nash was a wonderful man, a great conversationalist and storyteller.  I will miss talking about pretty much every subject with him.


Buenas noches...

Last day of spring break camp!

Kendall was not going to miss this day!  He is using an antihistamine, 12 hr decongestant and nasacort. We use ibuprofen as needed.  Today is the cookout and I found out I did not have hotdogs (we are not fans) and Kendall ate all the marshmallows.  So we made a quick stop at Triple Fresh en route to the museum in the morning.

I also discovered CK ate 5 of the 6 tablets of his heartworm medication that we just picked up. Well, he is set until May now!

Kendall purchased a glow fossil kit and a shark tooth. Good choices :-). He is still not feeling 100% so we called Miss Claudette and we decided to not attend the Goood Friday service.  Kendall asked for macaroni and cheese and we watched Capture the Flag. We found it looking for movies On Demand. A good review can be found here http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/capture-the-flag-review-1201655191/

Buenas noches!

Jesus Christ Superstar

The look from the first picture is Kendall's new attitude - rolling eyes and short temper. 

He was feeling 'not so swift' which is something I would say so we decided no Tae Kwon Do this morning. Kendall had scrambled eggs and watched Jumanji. 

Then we went to Payless. Kendall is now a size 12 (before he is 12) and we each found 2 pairs of shoes. We had lunch at 5 Guys. It was very good and everyone working communicated with each other and was having a great time. Someone yelled how many people came through the door. When it wasn't busy the tables were cleaned up and we could hear the employees laughing and having fun while working. Plus we loved the free peanuts!

The Five Guys Story

Five Guys has been a Washington, DC area favorite since 1986 when Jerry and Janie Murrell offered sage advice to the four young Murrell brothers: "Start a business or go to college."The business route won and the Murrell family opened a carry-out burger joint in Arlington, Virginia.

Under the guidance of Jerry and Janie, the Murrell family served only hand-formed burgers cooked to perfection on a grill along with fresh-cut fries cooked in pure peanut oil. The little burger joint quickly developed a cult-like following. Press paid attention. Customers voted the burger"#1" in the metro area.

During the 1980's and 1990's the Murrell family perfected their simple system. Five Guys was The Place to get a fresh, juicy burger with all the toppings you could stuff between fresh-baked buns. A fifth brother was born and, as their family grew, so did their business. Four more restaurants with sit-down seating were added to accommodate the growing clientele.

Early in 2003 Jerry and Janie, together with the five"guys" began offering franchise opportunities. In just under 18 months, Five Guys Enterprises sold options for over 300 units. The overwhelming success of franchising a local restaurant made national news with articles in trade publications such as Nation's Restaurant News, Restaurant Business Magazine, and the Franchise Times.

Now, over 20 years after Five Guys first opened, there are over 1,000 locations nationwide and over 1500 units in development. Five Guys continues to receive media attention and has grown a cult-like following around the world.

History

1986: The first Five Guys location opens in Arlington, VA.

1986 - 2001: Five Guys opens five locations around the DC metro-area and perfected their business of making burgers... and starts to build a cult-like following.

2002: Five Guys decides DC metro-area residents shouldn't be the only ones to experience their burgers and start to franchise in Virginia and Maryland.

2003: Five Guys sells out of franchise territory within 18 months and starts to open the rest of the country for franchise rights.

2003 - Present: Five Guys expands to over 1,000 locations in 47 states and 6 Canadian provinces.

Facts

• There are over 250,000 possible ways to order a burger at Five Guys.
• We use only fresh ground beef.
• There are no freezers in Five Guys locations, just coolers. Nothing is ever frozen.
• We use only Peanut oil.

We saw Jesus Christ Superstar at the Delaware Children's Theater. Kendal at first wasn't pleased but then asked a lot of questions during the musical. We also had a lot of discussion after with Kendall a little frustrated asking a few questions that I didn't get the first time. We worked it out though!

And then some Smallville. And special tie dye cookies for GodMom Adrienne's birthday Monday.l but we are bringing them for Easter dinner tomorrow.  We hope she doesn't read the blog tonight!

Buenas noches!

Clark Kent goes to the Vet and Kendall is Under the Weather

I was told by the counselors at the museum that Kendall was very quiet today. He was congested and had a headache this morning. And none of his shorts fit.  We have started a new growth spurt!  He was very tired when I picked him up. 

We headed home and had to run right back out to take CK to the vet. He loves the car and did well with the appointment.  Kendall was a good sport and as soon as we made it home he had grilled cheese with tomato soup, had a shower and went to bed. 

Buenas noches!

1/2 Vacation Day, Doctor Appointment, 1/2 Museum Day Wednesday

Bob Evans for breakfast, tax paper pickup then copying for our financial advisor, Wawa to pick up lunch and gas, Developmental Medicine Doctor appointment, 1/2 DMNH and then home.

Kendall received a lot of testing today. We rented  K-9 Adventures: Legend of the Lost Gold. Kassie Stevenson, her friends and her faithful dog Scoot are saved from summer vacation boredom when they are given a mysterious pocket watch that holds the secret to uncovering the legendary Garrison's Gold. With two crooks hot on their trails, it's up to Kassie and the gang to solve the puzzle of the lost treasure first. While Scoot helps Kassie and her friends search for the gold, Scoot and Paul Stevenson, Kassie's dad (Luke Perry), also unexpectedly stumble across another treasure - love. Buckle up for the most exciting adventure of the summer!

Buenas noches!

Piano Tuesdays

Kendall now has piano lessons on Tuesdays with Ms. Meghan next door. He went by himself tonight and brought home homework.  We are both excited!

Buenas!

Spring Break

Late mornings, fun during the day at Delaware Museum of Natural History, and a break from Tae Keon Do.

Buenas noches!

March Equinox, Palm and Easter Egg Hunt Sunday

On the equinoxes the Sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night is nearly equal – but not quite.

The March equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator – from south to north and vice versa in September.

Kendall and I went to the early service and part of the late service since the children led the congregation into the church singing and sang again. For the All School Sunday School event, everyone made palms to lead the congregation in. CK demolished it but Kendall made a shape of the cross and baby Jesus out of the Palms that the put in the center. I have an incredibly creative wonderful boy. We hid Easter eggs with the Jesus and Me group and after the second service the kids headed out in waves to find them. Over 20 children participated and fun was had by everyone!

We ran some errands, had a late lunch and then relaxed. We skyped with Kevin and his family in Escazu - they are on vacation this week. Kendall is also in Spring Break - in hindsight a trip to Costa Rica would have been wonderful. We hope to skype a few times this week.

Here is a video shown in church as part of our sermon. A message from God and your family - There is nothing you could that make me love you less.

NOOMA Lump Full

Buenas noches!

Our First Tae Kwon Do Tournament

We slept in a bit then headed out for a jock cup. I had googled the best place to get one and it said a sports store so we went to Dick's Sporting Goods in Exton.  They only had one in his size so we were lucky!  We grabbed a quick lunch at McDonald's and arrived at 11:30am at the high school. The poomsae's (forms) and board breaking were still going on. We enjoyed watching the other events and the board breaking routines were excellent. We confirmed Kendall did not have a legal match and would spar in an exhibition match. We met a nice family from Newtown, PA who chatted with us about the tournament. One son and his father had medaled in forms and board breaking. Kendall put on the jock cup and wore it until the match. We didn't get called until 3pm and he didn't spar until about 3:45pm. His godparents, Adrienne and Carlos Melendez, also waited it out with us from 2pm and stayed to watch the match. Kendall was very excited and matched to a 14 year old - same height and weight - who was also sparring for the first time in a tournament. I had to clip Kendall's toenails since they were a bit too long. This was in the letter I should have read more carefully from Mr. Fox. Luckily, I carry a toenail cutter in my purse. Kendall lost by one point but has this experience to remember for forever. He is in the red chest protector in the video below. All the exhibition match participants sparred and earned a gold medal! Felicidades Kendall!

We were exhausted but I made a Meat and Kale Lasagna and turned in early.  This was a great day!

Buenas noches!

Weigh In Friday

Spring Break has begun - Kendall is off this week.  Tae Kwon Do then weigh in st Coatesville High School for the tournament Saturday.  

We had a late dinner and relaxed with Smallville.

Buenas!

Happy St. Maewyn Succat Day!

There are many legends and traditions associated with St. Patrick's Day. Who was the real St. Patrick?

St. Patrick was not actually Irish. he was born around 373 A.D. in the British Isles near the modern city of Dumbarton in Scotland. His real name was Maewyn Succat. He took the name of Patrick, or Patricius, meaning "well-born" in Latin, after he became a priest.

During Patrick's boyhood, the Roman empire was near collapse and too weak to defend its holdings in distant lands. Britain became easy prey for raiders, including those who crossed the Irish sea from the land known as Hibernia or Ireland. He was little Maewyn Succat at home in Scotland with his parents, Calpornius and Conchessa. Dad was a Roman diplomat, and Mom was a niece of St. Martin of Tours, a Hungarian who grew up in Italy but mostly lived in France. When Maewyn was 16, he was seized by grabbed by pirates and sold to the Irish. 

Most of what is known about St. Patrick comes from his own Confession, written in his old age. In his Confession he wrote about his capture:

As a youth, nay, almost as a boy not able to speak, I was taken captive ... I was like a stone lying in the deep mire; and He that is mighty came and in His mercy lifted me up, and raised me aloft ... And therefore I ought to cry out aloud and so also render something to the Lord for His great benefits here and in eternity -- benefits which the mind of men is unable to appraise.

After Patrick was captured and taken to Ireland as a slave by an Irish chieftain named Niall, he was sold to another chieftain in northern Ireland. Much of Patrick's time was spend alone on the slopes of Slemish Mountain, tending his master's flocks of sheep. During the long, lonely hours in the fields and hills of Ireland, Patrick found comfort in praying. In his Confession he wrote:

... every day I had to tend sheep, and many times a day I prayed -- the love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. And my spirit was moved so that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers and almost as many in the night, and this even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountains; ... and I felt no harm, and there was no sloth in me -- as now I see, because the spirit within me was fervent.

Six years passed slowly by. Then in a dream, Patrick heard a voice saying, "Thy ship is ready for thee." This was God's way, he felt, of telling him to run away.

That night he fled. Assured God was leading him, Patrick plunged through the bogs and scaled the mountains which separated him from the sea. He escaped Ireland by ship, but God would call him back years later. Patrick had escaped his boyhood enslavement in Ireland only to hear the call of God as a man to return. He was being called on, he felt, to convert the Irish to Christianity. In his Confession Patrick wrote:

I saw a man named Victoricus, coming from Ireland with countless letters. He game me one of them and I read the opening words which were: The voice of the Irish ... I thought at the same moment I heard their voice: 'We beg you, young man, come and walk among us once more.'

And I was quite broken in heart, and could read no further, and so I woke up. Thanks be to God, after many years the Lord gave to them according to their cry.

... they call me most unmistakably with words which I heard but could not understand, except that ... He spoke thus: 'He that has laid down His life for thee, it is He that speaketh in thee;' and so I awoke full of joy.

When Patrick began his mission about 430 A.D., Ireland was gripped by paganism, Idolatry prevailed and the Irish knew nothing of Jesus. Patrick decided to go first to the pagan chieftain or king who had enslaved him as a boy. Rather than be put to shame by a former slave, the king set fire to his house and threw himself into the flames.

Patrick then set out for Tara, the seat of the high king of Ireland. When Patrick arrived, Tara was filled with many local kings and druids who were attending the pagan feast of Beltine which coincided with Easter that year. Patrick encamped in the full view of the castle to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ.

On the eve of the festival it was the custom, upon penalty of death, that the high king should light the first bonfire before any others in the land. Patrick, however, had kindled a great fire which gleamed through the darkness. Patrick was summoned before the king. The confrontation which followed is as amazing as Elijah's victory over the prophets of Baal.

Patrick stood and called, May God arise and His enemies be scattered. Darkness fell on the camp. Confused guards began to attack one another. The ground shook and the next day, Easter, a broken king knelt before God's servant. This confrontation between Patrick's God and demonic forces marked the beginning of a thirty-year mission to Ireland.

Patrick traveled the roads and forded the rivers of Ireland for 30 years to see men and women "reborn in God' and come to know the Christ he loved so much. Patrick wrote in his Confession:

We ought to fish well and diligently, as our Lord exhorts. Hence, we spread our nets so that a great multitude and throng might be caught for God.

By the time of his death, Patrick had baptized tens of thousands and established hundreds of churches throughout Ireland. Danger and hardship remained his constant companions. Twice he was imprisoned, but he was not discouraged. He wrote in his Confession:

Daily I expect murder, fraud, or captivity, but I fear none of these things because of the promises of heaven. I have cast myself into the hands of God Almighty who rules everywhere.

Within a century this once pagan land became predominately Christian, possessing such a vigorous faith that Ireland in turn sent missionaries to Scotland, England, Germany and Belgium.

As an old man, Patrick looked back in awe:

Those who never had knowledge of God but worshipped idols ... have now become ... sons of God.

The old saint died in his beloved Ireland on March 17th, 460 A.D. The land that once enslaved him, had now been set free.

Note: One of the most popular legends attributed to Patrick is that he used the shamrock as a visual aid to teach the principle of the Trinity. This story cannot be verified. However, from his writings it is evident the doctrine of the Trinity was central in his teaching.

 

Thanks http://holydays.tripod.com/shamrock.htm

 

Buenas noches!

Richard III at People's Light and a Writeup

So I received an e-mail today that the Instructional Assistant on duty during lunch wrote Kendall up at lunch for, "While at a nearby table during cleanup, I heard a pop. I turned to see Kendall with a clear baggie. When asked if he popped the bag, he said yes. He then asked to go to the restroom. When he returned, he took his lunchbox, and sat at the detention table for the last five minutes of lunch. ." This will be filed under a minor write up for disruption with our school wide positive behavior system. Not too happy and Kendall said he wanted to see what happened. He does not really understand why he was written up.  We'll discuss again Thursday night and figure out a punishment because...

We met Ms. Deb for dinner at John's Pizza and then saw Richard III at People's Light.  We missed Ms. Pam since she needs to catch up from a recent trip, ordered different food than we normally order and had a late night since the play was 2 and 1/2 hours.  I am always amazed by Kendall in these situations and he did a great job following since it was Shakespeare.  He asked questions and by the end of the play knew practically all the characters. It was modernized a bit with the costumes and set. The older gentleman near me told me preferred the traditional version and wished the English could be modernized. 

On to bed!

Buenas noches!

Ides of March - March 15

And we were a little idle.  Julius Caesar's assassination: 10 facts about the Ides of March murder
The assassination of Julius Caesar  on March 15, 44BC is one of the most notorious events in history.

• Thanks to Shakespeare the stark warning of the soothsayer, "Beware the ides of March," means that people always remember March 15.
• Julius Caesar suffered 23 stab wounds on the Ides of March but only one of them, the second stab wound he received to the breast, was fatal to the 55-year-old. This will be important for tomorrow since we see Richard III at People's Light Theater.    In his book The Death of Caesar: The Story of History’s Most Famous Assassination military historian Barry Strauss, says that the problem was that many of the estimated 60 conspirators were amateurs at murder. “Very few soldiers, even good ones, have what it takes to stab a man to death,” Strauss writes. “It takes sheer physical strength and a certain brutality to drive a dagger through a man’s flesh.” Some of the stab wounds hit rib cage bone. Excruciatingly painful but not fatal.
• The conspirators waited until Caesar took his seat in his golden chair for the tribunal of the Senate at Teatro di Pompeo, which meant, cunningly, that some were in a position to approach him from behind and stab him in the back. Mark Antony was deliberately kept in a long conversation outside the room to stop him from coming to Caesar's aid. Caesar had an entourage that included former soldiers and axe-wielding gladiators but they were not allowed inside the Senate, so he had no bodyguards.
• Caesar was also saved from a very quick death by the thick folds of his woollen toga, which was dyed a reddish purple and embroidered with gold and which soaked up much of the blood. The togas of the killers made their blades easy to conceal, too.
• The killers were rational, highly-educated men. Brutus and Cassius were both praetors (second only to consuls); Casca, who struck the first blow, was a tribune of the people. Although Brutus gets the worst press ("Et tu, Brute," as Shakespeare reminds us, the biggest betrayal was arguably by Decimus, long-time supporter, friend and fellow diner the night before, who literally led Caesar by the hand into the senate. He was supposedly annoyed at being overlooked for second-in-command and his ambitious wife who came from a family that had supported Caesar’s rival, Pompey, during the Civil War.

Buenas!

Rounding Pi Monday - 3.1416

Work, school, a fun lunch for me with some great friends from AI duPoint Hospital for Children - Stacey, Andrea and Marlene and Tae Kwon Do. We had found the missing glove for Tae Kwon Do and Kendall read me 1/2 of The Giving Tree with some help from me.  He also did a great job rhyming and spelling words en route to Tae Kwon Do. We also chose one path of You Choose Civil War.

I found a powerful read from an adoptees blogpost.  It is very visual and makes you think how you would feel. You make it as graphic as you want from your own experiences.

Bitter Pill by Olivia Tanner

And Happy Birthday Albert Einstein!

And Abuelo Ricardo helps 'Neighbors in Need'. Radwick, VICaP aim to improve quality of life for elderly, disabled and homebound

Buenas noches!

Spring Ahead Soulful Sunday

And we'll feel it tomorrow. I was up at the regular time and was able to get a lot done. No early service today so Sunday School, the 10:30am service ( Kendall stepped in to acolyte) and then a special lunch/Vision presentation at church. I love the Kendall helped to clean up. 

We are preparing for the upcoming week - piano lessons start and the Tae Keon DoTournament,

Buenas noches!

 

Therapy, Tae Kwon Do and Shopping Saturday

But Duck Donuts first. We even left 15 minutes earlier! Kendall was given a free rubber duck :-0

A stop at BJs then back home to head to a special sparring Tae Kwon Do class. We slowed down after that. 

Buenas noches!