Posts Tagged ‘cheer’

Deep Breath…

{ September 13, 2009 @ 4:36 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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the chaos starts tomorrow!

We actually have a get together with the homeschooling group tomorrow at 9:45 to add to the mix this week. Then on to our regularly scheduled, fully packed, days. 

I’m not sure I’m ready for this.

Well, I’m ready in terms of preparation; K has three notebooks, three folder, all her texts and some pens. We have all the various dance shoes we’ll be needing (two pairs of foot undeez,  two pairs of jazz shoes, three pairs of cheer shoes, a pair of ballet shoes and a pair of street shoes that aren’t worn on the street (for breaking)).  M has a new piano book to practice with.  I have my teacher books set up and a plan what to do while the kids are at their various activities.  I have my choreography set and music picked for cheer. 

What I’m not sure I’m ready for is being busy for pretty much every single day, for pretty much all day.   I am not one who likes to be constantly on the go.  I like my down time and I’m kind of afriad I’ll crash and burn at some point during the year.  I hope I can hack it.

Wish me luck!

M’s first day of school

{ September 2, 2009 @ 7:42 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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actual brick and mortar school!  She;s the only child of mine that actually attends school and she thrives there.  I won’t pretend that doesn’t make me a little sad :(   but I am glad she enjoys her days in school as much as her sibs and I do at home.  For those who don’t know, M has autism.  The school here has an excellent autism program that she has been part of for the past 7 years.  They truly treasure her for who she is!  We are very lucky and I am very grateful. 

Here is a picture of her as she was leaving to catch the bus.

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Just so this post has something to do with our homeschool ;)   I signed K up for two more classes this morning; one writing class-Writing a Term Paper and one geography class-Around the World in 80 days.  She’s more excited about the latter then the former and I’m the other way round LOL!  Two more to add to the schedule 8^O

We have been planning some field trips as well, I’m hoping to go to a workshop at a local living museum and probably apple picking.  I would love to get a group together for either of these and need one for the workshop.  Wish me luck getting some people to sign on! 

And while you are at it could you send me some sign up vibes for our cheer program too?  It’s been slow going :(

Did you notice?

{ August 31, 2009 @ 8:33 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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that I was gone for almost a year?

that I tried to slip back into blogging with no explination whatsoever?

So…yeah…I’m back!

It wasn’t that we weren’t doing anything all that time, it’s just that I didn’t feel like talking about it.  W lost his job in February and considering the way the company had been treating him it wasn’t a horrible thing……except for the economy of course.  It really felt like trauma on top of extended trauma and we all just retreated for awhile.  Add to that the fact that we were really busy with dance recital and piano recital and other end of the year stuff and I just stopped blogging. 

There has been lots going on here though!  Recital went really well.

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M did excellently in her modern class, the teacher even commented on it which is amazing considering her disability.  K came through for me in cheer as well as holding her weight and more in Jazz and Hip Hop/Lyrical and B loved performing…a lot.  Got myself a little drama king methinks LOL!

There were some other things too.

We went to the Maine Wildlife Park

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the planetarium

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and the new  farmers market. 

 We put on homeschool art day,

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history faire,  math day and forensic fun activity. 

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We started a cheer program,

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ran a cheer clinic and planned several classes for fall. 

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I attended our local homeschooling conference and had my 41st birthday.  W and I went to the Stimulate This! tour (what an experience that was *sigh*) and had our 20th wedding anniversary. 

M had her 13th and  B had his 10 1/2 birthday party.

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K and I attended the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. 

 We found an injured bat behind our kitchen stove and brought it to wildlife rescue (unfortunately Batty McPhee had to be put down :(   ). 

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 We adopted a kitten and named her Luna :)
(picture coming soon)

M attended the 10th anniversary party for the autism program here in town and the kids held their own episode of Chopped.

In short much fun was had by all!  I hope this year is just as exciting :)

and on to the schedule

{ August 30, 2009 @ 5:38 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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I kind of dread this post every year, the one where I lay out all of our outside (or extrcurricular to use the school venacular) activities.  It seems to get worse every year as the kids get into more and more things and, since they are getting older, I find some of my own.  It never seems that bad until I write it all out somehow. 

Anyway…..here we go!

Monday:

Foster Granny Visit 2-4
Teaching multi age cheer class 4-5
K’s modern class 6:30-7:30

Tuesday:

K’s Marine Bio Class 9:15-10:30
C’s Jazz class 6:30-7:15
K’s Jazz Class 7:15-8:00

Wednesday:

K’s tumbling class 6-7

Thursday:

K’s Marine Bio class 9:15-10:30
Homeschooling Support group 10:30-12
B’s breaking class 5:30-6:15
C and M’s modern class 5:30-6:15
My ballet class 6:15-7
K and I teach Junior Cheer 7-7:45

Friday:

K teaching tiny cheer 4-5
Me teaching special needs cheer 5-6

Somewhere in there we also need to cover lessons, practicing for K’s individual cheer routine or her attending another cheer class (which she ends up doin will depend on when the class is being held and how it fits our schedule), and those silly things like eating, sleeping and housework.  Not to mention getting M on the bus at 6:30 and picking her up from it at 2:30.  At least the weekends are free…until cheer comp season starts. 

*sigh*

It hardly seems to fit the homeschooling stereotype does it?

I’m back!!

{ October 10, 2008 @ 3:55 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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from my externally imposed hiatus! 

There has been lots going on here at The School Down the Lane so I’ll spare you the excuses and get started!

First of all K had a birthday and is now 15!  8^O  How did this happen?  Not sure, but she had a great birthday.  She had some friends over for cake, tie-dying and mad libs.

Speaking of the cake, K and I made it ourselves! We made a lemon cake (using cake mix *cough-cop out-cough*) and then covered it with candy clay that we had colored in different colors and cut out with cookies cutters as well as shaping some of it ourselves. Here is a picture of our masterpiece:dscf1392.jpg

During my break we also hosted a flat traveler. Our traveler was named *Krabby* and was visiting from Ohio. We took Krabby all over our little corner of Maine; to the lake, to the beach, to the library and to the dance studio.

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K has also started a writing class with our homeschooling group as well as entering the writing contest The Book Arts Bash and started three (count them, three) dance classes.

Speaking of dance classes, my cheer team is shaping up nicely. They are the challenge that a bunch of girls that age always are, but not as much so as some I have dealt with in the past. They approve of my uniform and hair ribbon choices so that’s half the battle LOL! I have 8, which is two stunt groups so I’m happy! I have the most amazing cheer mix for our routine as well which I am also very happy about!

B has started his small group reading, math and now writing group at the local PS. He is enjoying them much more this year and is doing well. W and I are keeping a close eye on his progress there as bringing him is, frankly, a PITA and if it’s not going to do any good (last year he made little progress if any) then I will pull him and get some help privately. He is also loving his hip hop and breaking classes. He even tried cheer, but decided he didn’t want to continue. 

Some other projects here were making corn starch clay, capturing spiders and snails for observation, knitting with the alpaca wool, making Halloween cut out cookies, visiting the organic apple orchard and decorating the yard for Halloween. I’ll be back with more on those subjects once I find my camera and my brain :^P

and nearly a month later……

{ June 19, 2008 @ 1:02 am } · { Uncategorized }
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I finally post something! Sorry for the long break with no blogging!

Yes, the school down the lane is back from break.  I suppose I should have said something before I left, but I didn’t think it wise to announce in advance I’d be out of town for a couple days, doing some day trips and generally not being around much on the Internet.  :)

I officially ended our school year on May 30th and took the next week as a family vacation.  We went to the White Mountains and spent a few days at a very nice hotel that had it’s own water slides.  While we were there we visited the Polar Caves, traveled the Kangamangus Highway and shopped at Zeb’s General Store.  We also ate at an excellent Mexican restaurant.  I highly recommend the White Mountains during the first week in June, we were the only ones in most of the places we went…it was awesome! I do have some pictures and more details but I’ll post them separately when I find my memory stick.

Before we left we went and signed the kids up for summer dance classes.  While I was there I had offered to help the owner with her cheer teams since she (in her own words) “Just don’t know cheer”  ;)   To my great surprise she offered me the Jr. team (ages 9-13) coaching position.  I was so surprised that I didn’t really answer her but I did e-mail her and said I would love to do it before we left.  When I got back there was an e-mail saying had the job if I wanted it.  This is very exciting for me!  I’ve wanted to start my own team for awhile but don’t have the resources and this is a perfect solution.  A chance to be part of a wonderful program that has the resources and clientele already.  Woohoo! K and I have been looking at uniforms and planning dances and stunts for the last two weeks.  I start in September and will be paid in free dance lessons :) K will be helping me as well as assistant coaching the *mini* team (ages 5-8 ) and taking a Modern Lyrical class.  B will be taking break dancing and (hopefully, if we can fit it in) soccer and M will be taking ballet. 

Speaking of summer dance….B started break dancing tonight and is loving it!  I knew he would and I’m really glad I talked him into…er I mean he decided to take it. It’s a 8-10 year old class and they all had a blast!  It’s really fun to watch them.

K is taking Jazz technique and really enjoyed it, which kind of surprised me.  She had been taking a hip hop class at a cheer gym but wasn’t impressed with what she called their “stripper moves” and the lack of organization in the class itself so we decided to cut our losses and go with the class she started last night.  So far it seem like a much better fit. 

M started Ballet technique and did well according to W.  I didn’t see her because I took the other kids home to start supper.  I was worried about how she would take having a new teacher and  being corrected but I guess she did fine.

Oh, and we had our yearly assessments done…at 10AM on the day we got back from our trip *yawn*.  They went well and I am now in possession of some really good suggestions and my *proof of progress*.  I sent off my subsequent NOI on Monday so we’re all set to start on 7/7.  I’m really excited to start doing biology with the kids! 

Thus ends my update!  I will be back to regular posting, I promise!