Jonathan launches his very own blog

As many of you know, Jonathan is very creative. He was so busy in December designing t-shirts for members of our family. He has also begun to branch out and is now willing to create customized Stik Doodz style family portraits. In an attempt to provide him a format for sharing his imaginative designs, I helped him set up his own blog, Stik Doodz Unlimited. Here you will find samples of his work as well as his own unique comments and insights into the world around him. Not only is Jonathan a creative designer, but he is a fabulous writer. In the future, he may also post some of his favorite writing pieces for others to read.

You can get to his blog from our family's blog by clicking on "Stik Doodz Unlimited" under the friends and family heading in the far right column of this page. It is still a work in progress, but he is proud of what he has done so far and excited to be able to share with everyone. Make sure to leave him comments. It makes it so much more fun to blog when you get feedback from others!

Sammy's FIRST Promotion Test

She did it!
And we are soooooo proud of her.

Last night, Sammy tested for her yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do. Sammy was so excited. We arrived a few minutes early, and she spent the time talking to Mina and practicing some of her kicks. Once the test started, she looked a bit nervous - it was her very first experience in front everyone. And the pace of the test was faster than she was used to. I have to admit that I was worried that she might be too afraid to go through with it, but she surprised us all by completing her test with only minimal support from Mina!

Some of the comments from Sammy's feedback form included:
"Your triple punches were good."
"Very, very good outside crecent kick!"
"Good hand techniques."

It took Sammy about 15 second to actually start her form. Just a little bit of stage fright, I think. Along with her form (which included 20 movements), Sammy had to do triple punching, seven different kicks, and five different hand techniques. It was a lot to remember for her first test!

A new strategy...

Tonight I got online to check email.
I (of course) visited my blog next.
Just to see it again. I really worked hard at the new look.
And then I posted about popcorn.
And then I checked out Tracey's blog.
And followed a link to Natalie's blog.
And went on to explore a stranger's blog.
Who had a totally cool clock set up on her blog.
So I clicked on the clock which led me to this site where you can get your own clock.

So I added a clock to my blog.
Which you can see on the far right.

What was the "new strategy"?
Oh, that having a clock ticking away at the top of my site will remind me how much time I have spent blogging and how little time I have left to dedicate to beauty sleep.

And the purpose of knowing this information?
Well, to keep me from staying up all night long and sleeping through my alarm in the morning.

Oh, and Jonathan...
I added one to your blog too!

POPCORN

This morning I didn't wake up to may alarm.

Ok...I DID wake up to it, I just chose to hit the snooze button repeatedly until I eventually slept through it. But, luckily Jonathan is way more of a morning person and terribly responsible. He popped into my room (as I am busily drooling on my pillow) and said, "Good morning, Mom!" This is code for "seriously, we're gonna be late if you don't haul your butt out of bed asap!" In my slightly groggy but quickly moving state, I had a conversation with Jonathan about the tooth that he lost this morning. It was his last baby tooth - an enormous molar. He was surprised at how large it was. I saw it. It was impressive.

Back to the frantic washing and getting dressed for school.

After getting myself ready, I went to locate Sammy. Sometimes she is great at getting herself ready and at other times I have to "motivate her" to get going. Today she was already downstairs in the kitchen, and I walked in to find her throwing things away and cleaning off the counter where Jonathan had already fixed and packed lunches (Am I a lucky mom or what?!?) I was cooking breakfast - and by cooking I mean pouring cereal into bowls and filling glasses with milk - when Jonathan came downstairs and exclaimed, "Where is my tooth?"

Of course, his first instinct was to blame Sammy.
Hmmmm.
Well, she is most often the culprit.
But she was definite in her denial that she had done anything to his tooth.

When I asked Jonathan where he had left his tooth, he told me he had set it on the counter...
My mind began to work quickly.
What had Sammy just thrown into the trash?

MOM: "Sammy, did you throw Jon's tooth away? He said it was sitting right here."
SAMMY: "No, really! I thought it was a piece of popcorn!"
(and she was completely serious)

It was a pretty big tooth.
And we had eaten popcorn with our dinner the night before.
And she was trying to be helpful.
And it was pretty funny.
Except to Jon.
He wanted to take the tooth to school.
But I couldn't find it in the trash.
(I only searched the top - let's not get crazy now.)

I'm learning to love this

Today I finally broke down and purchased new photo editing software. It's funny, because I had gotten so used to the way my old program worked that I am having a hard time utilizing the many features of this new one. It does have some pretty cool artistic effects. And I think that once I spend some more time with it, I will find that Adobe is actually easier to use when doing quick picture touch-ups than my last program. The truth is, I am just very grateful to be back "up and running" again after the recent computer related tragedy at our house.

Jonathan advances again

Last night Jonathan tested for his 2nd Red belt in Tae Kwon Do. In reality, he was doing all of the requirements for the Red/Black belt, but since he is not yet 13 years old, he has to take intermediate tests (sort of like a practice test) every couple months before advancing to the next rank. He did an amazing job!

Some of the comments he received on his feedback form included:
"Thunder kick rocks!"
"Great horse stance."
"Jump reverse front kick is great!"
After he completed his form, Mr. Scott (instructor) even said that Jonathan's front kick was so fast his foot seemed to disappear!

The video below shows him doing his Red/Black form. The form is only a small portion of his overall test. He also had to demonstrate a multitude of kicks and hand techniques. If you are curious, you can visit the Monroe County Martial Arts website to see a list of all the requirements for each belt.

Jonathan's Red/Black Form

Happy Valentine's Day!

Agreeing to pose for a couple Valentine's Day pictures was the kids' "gift" to me this year.

Ok, I admit I had to cajole, bribe, and threaten them (a little bit)...
But it all worked out for the best.
I think this one is so sweet.

This is a good one!

Would you rather...
the only technology you can use be what you had in 1982?
OR
the only clothes you can wear be what you had in 1982?

Let me know what you think.
My choice (and the reason behind it) is in the comments.

How do you like me NOW?

Seriously...
I need everyone to comment.
I have worked at this way longer than I should have.
I am NOT a computer whiz (or even very computer literate).
The fact that I was able to search for, find, choose, download, upload, edit, and rearrange the layout of this blog is a huge - make that a HUGE accomplishment.

Here are some of the cool features that have been added:
1. updated layout - just take a look at the extremely fresh and funky new colors and graphic elements
2. three columns - this allows for more fun features
3. a search tool - you can search my blog posts by keyword
4. recent comments - see, if you comment on my blog, you will have a chance to be featured in this section
5. recent articles - otherwise known as recent posts
6. about this blog - a little more information about the scope and purpose of this blog
7. upcoming events - just a few noteworthy dates to keep in mind
8. other websites - some of my favorite sites to visit, maybe you'll enjoy them too

So it is now up to you to comment on the new look.

By the way, I have to say that these changes would never have been possible without the amazing support and expert advice posted on jackbook.com that guided me step by step through this transformation.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!

A different approach

So, I had this really great idea that I would have a poll on our blog titled "Would you rather..."

Unfortunately, very few people voted.
Also, I realized that what I really wanted to know was WHY they made the choice they did.
So, in an effort to improve the results, I have decided to remove the poll and simply post "Would you rather..." questions whenever I come across a really great one. That way you have the opportunity to comment and tell me what you would decide and WHY.

It really could be a fun way to get to know someone.

For those of you who voted on this already, thank you.
Now you can share your reasons why...

Would you rather...
have a velcro beard or an afro of crazy straws?

An important day for Sammy


Sammy has been taking martial arts at the YMCA for quite a while. This session, she has really put a lot of effort into learning and practicing her form. Today while I was talking to Mr. Scott, Mina (Sammy's helper) came rushing over and excitedly told us that Sammy could do her whole form on her own! The significance of this is that now she is eligible for promotion to the next belt. She tests on Friday, February 22 for her yellow stripe. I will post photos from that as soon as I have them!