Happy Thanksgiving to all our Canadian friends and family. Here in the States we’re saluting Christopher Columbus’s superb navigational skills. The celebrations here were minimal. We started the day by going to my post-partum check-up, where I was deemed in reasonable shape. So, that was good. I’m up about 14 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight, which isn’t too bad. I’ve been eating well and exercising, so I’ll just expect to take the next year to get it off, and possibly work a little more ambitiously on my fitness level. Having a new baby somewhat precludes hours to myself to exercise, but I suspect, as she gets a bit bigger, I’ll be able to get a few hours alone at the gym each week, in addition to the regular walking I do. So, it’s a goal. We all need those.
Darren has had a long weekend, which has been really nice. I always enjoy having him around more, despite the fact that we had a lot going on during his time off, and he actually did quite a lot with Flo. We started out on Thursday, October 4, by going to a homeschool fieldtrip at Summer's Farm in Frederick, Maryland. There was corn maze, hayride, games, pumpkins, etc. It was so hot, Joe, Zofia and I went for a ride while Darren took Flo around with our homeschooling friends. I bribed Joe to come with me by taking him to Toys R Us… he was pretty good… we only spent $10 and he didn’t beg for anything. Then I went and got an iced coffee at Starbucks, and one to bring Darren, and headed back to pick them up. Despite the heat, everyone had a great time.
The next day, Darren took Flo to our bi-weekly homeschooling co-op, where she did crafts, took a drama class and worked on a science project about volcanoes. This co-op just started last month, and I think it’s going to be a great resource for us. Darren got a taste of what my day usually involves. I opted to stay home with Zofia and Joe, and let Flo enjoy the experience without her pesty brother for one day.
On Saturday, the 6th, my mom stopped by in the morning to pick up Darren and Flo to take Flo to a children’s poetry workshop during the Sotto Voce Poetry Festival in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. I had signed Flo up for this, thinking it would be a fun day, but the more we thought about toting three kids to the quaint little town for Flo’s hour long class, we decided my mom might enjoy tagging along instead. They had breakfast at the Blue Moon Cafe, where they serve a vegan breakfast on the weekends. Then they headed over to Four Seasons Books for Flo’s workshop. She learned about metaphors, similes, and other such poetic constructs. I’m not sure how much she retained, but she had a good time. There was a parade through the town afterwards, which she greatly enjoyed, as some of the participants were throwing candy out into the crowd. Flo amassed quite the collection, of which we negotiated down to a reasonable amount later on. And after their jaunt to Shepherdstown, they returned to meet me at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, where Joe had has weekly Saturday art class. He brought home a couple of creative projects and the teacher said he was very good. He was the only student in class this week, so he got a lot of attention, and seemed to enjoy himself.
Sunday, we went to church in the morning, and an open house at our local Little Gym, where the kids got to run around a bit, in the afternoon.
Today, Flo’s homeschooling buddy, Kate, had her eighth birthday party at Adventure Park USA, in New Market, MD. My mom graciously volunteered to take Flo, since I had my doctor’s appointment this morning. After my appointment, Darren, Joe, Zofia and I went down to Frederick to walk around Barnes & Noble bookstore for awhile. We then met Flo and my mom at the Common Market for a late lunch on their way by.
We also had a major milestone in our family today. Joe learned to ride his bike without the training wheels! Darren just decided to take them off, and see how he could do. It didn’t take long and he was off. He’s quite impressed with himself. A little more practice, and I’ll probably have a hard time keeping up with him. He worries me a little bit, since he’s all boy and a total daredevil, but he’s still a stickler for safety and reminds everyone to wear their helmets!
Darren heads back to work tomorrow, and the kids and I are back into our weekly routine. We’re looking forward to a break in the heat this week. It’s hard to believe it’s October and we’re having temperatures in the high 80’s. Phew. Of course, in a few weeks, when we’re too cold, we’ll be complaining about that. It's the nature of nature, I guess.