January Update in In the Meadow

The past month has been busy. Kayla and Timmy have been going to after school tutoring to help with their homework. The group meets two days a week. It has helped them to get a better understanding of their subjects. The high school years are definitely busy. They are involved in clubs that meet during lunch. Kayla is in the audiovisual club and Timmy is in Amnesty International. They are also doing Model U.N. It is a balancing act because it looks good on college applications to have extracurriculars. However, it can’t interfere with schoolwork. In some ways tenth grade is tough because the kids are mature enough to make some independent decisions but don’t always have social and emotional maturity.

Aaron is doing the ski club. They go to a downhill ski resort and do skiing and snowboarding. He likes seventh grade for the most part. His favorite subjects are social studies and science. He has become more outgoing then he was in elementary school.

I have not been downhill skiing in a long time, since I was in school. I am thinking I should try it again. I wonder if I still remember how.

I realized that I never wrote about Thanksgiving and Christmas, and here we are in February. We had Thanksgiving with my husband’s sister. The kids helped with Thanksgiving dinner and they did a good job. They made the mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and apple pie. Timmy and Kayla have several meals that they know how to make. We are working on their cooking skills so they are equipped when they go out on their own.

For Christmas we visited with my dad and stepmom. We had a nice time. The kids received electronic gifts, books, gift cards, and cash. They are using some of the gift cards for X Box games. I remember playing Super Mario II when I was fifteen.