Conversations....

Friday evening I am cleaning the house, at a fairly clipped pace. My inlaws were due to come Saturday afternoon, and things needed to look better.

Me: JM, you need to clean your room.

JM: Why?

Me: Grandpa and Grandma are coming, and we don't want them to think we're slobs.

JM: Mom, I think they already know.

Annual Purge

It's the annual get-rid-of-every-toy-that-is-broken-missing-pieces-outgrown-annoying-requires-too-many-batteries-need-more-space-for-incoming-toys-from-overindulgent-family-members-who-think-we-have-a-12,000-square-foot-house-instead-of-1200-square-feet.

The hubbie surveying the under side of the bed that keeps getting jumped on, and support slats keep getting broken.
And after. Fixed bed. Heck, you can see the bed! Toys are in bins, shoes are in bins, sheets are tumbling in the washer, and Dad and Mom get to tackle the tree now.

Coming to a Grinding Halt

Our little man measuring the Christmas tree.....for some reason....

Our decorated tree....a bit off center, but at least it's not falling over.

Let's go outside.....now! In five minutes, it's "Let's go inside .....now!"

Remember my lovely blackberry bushes from last summer? Yep, that's them.

The city has declared only vehicles with chains are allowed to drive. Well, then you can either use your four wheel drive Jeep.....or cross country skis.

Beautiful ice laced holly tree in our yard. It's fun to see the beauty all around.

It's official in the last 24 hours, not only has the city come to a complete halt. It has now hit emergency levels. Emergency vehicles cannot get around, and are actually requesting a plow to plow in front of them to make it to emergencies. Parts of the grocery store near us has closed down, because the shelves are bare. A couple was found today having died from carbon monoxide poisoning because they were trying to stay warm in their car. So, around the city, you can feel it--some critical levels have been achieved. Some of the remote rural communities have some serious concerns about getting supplies to them. So, I ask your prayers for them. When we hear such news, we are struck by how blessed we are to have a roof over our heads, and food in our cupboards. Yet there is not much we can do for those we are hearing about, prayer is the most effective thing I can think of.

I am bummed for another reason. We do a giving tree at our church every year, like most churches. We adopt a few families and provide for them Christmas. I mean it, we provide it all. The gifts for the kids, a few for the parents, a full meal including a ham. So we all pick items to bring. I was lucky to get to a store late last week to provide two presents for two kids. I am so sad for those kids because there is no way our church can get these things that I have bought and others have bought for these families.

As I watch my little local yahoo chicken chat group online, I am amazed at how many people are losing chickens to frost and cold. We have been consistently in the 20's for the last several days. So, while I put up with Lizzie squawking in my house, I am glad we can bring her inside. She may not be though.

We are blessed that we will have a cozy Christmas here in our home. Traditionally, we go off to the inlaws and have a huge Christmas. I have always secretly (not so secret anymore) wanted to have a few Christmas memories in our house, with just our family, with our own traditions. This year will be memorable for that.

The world around us has come to a grinding halt, in some cases, quite tragically. We count our blessings.

We wish all of you a most blessed, lovely, special and memorable Christmas.

Snow Day Number 2

They seem so peaceful and serene don't they?
They actually have a severe case of "ants in the pants".

Snow + Trampoline = Fun!

I know for those of us who grew up in climates that have serious snow, my pictures today will seem really wimpy. I remember trick or treating as a little girl in Colorado in snow drifts taller than me. There are toddler pictures of me in Montana where the snow drifts are twice the size of me. So these pics I am sharing today will seem really wimpy. But we still had fun!

Snowball fight!

Nice form! Jumping and throwing and picture taking!

You Know it Will Be a Good Morning When.....

You walk into the living room and your seven year old bursts out saying "Mommy! There was candy on the porch and I didn't touch it!" Really? Well let me see. Yes, in fact a friend, probably my sweet neighbor, has left a gift bag of candy and supposedly the seven year old hasn't touched it. I don't believe that for a second but don't pursue it at the moment because the coffee pot is calling me and my head is exploding with a head cold.

I go downstairs to my office to check email, etc. Suddenly, JM bursts into the room, "Mommy! I found a piece of gum on the floor and I went to take it out of my mouth and now I have it all over me! Waaaaaaa!" Sure enough. He has it up and down one of his arms AND strings of it on the back of his neck embedded in his afro hair. Oh my WORD!

I also call the hubbie and get the scoop. Yes the bag was on the porch when he woke up and JM was given express direction to leave it alone until later. That worked well didn't it?

I didn't go ballistic. I let him do that for me. I went down my list.....JM, we just don't leave candy and gum on the floor of our house, where did you get the gum and the truth please? Yes, he took it from the candy bag. Next question, do Daddy and I always tell you to keep your gum in your mouth? Yes. You didn't just go to take it out of your mouth if you have this much gum on the back of your neck, so that wasn't the truth either right? Right.

Okay, now what do we do? I stall for time and make him get in the bathtub and work on it. He gets it off his arm pretty well. We just have the stuff in his hair on the nape of his neck, which is super tender hair on anyone. I go google "how to get gum out of hair".

Yes, there is the old standby of freezing the hair. I am not sure how to do that on his neck. Next option, take cooking oil and rub it in and it will emulsify the gum a bit and cause it to slide out. Sounds good to me.

At this point, he is freaking out. He won't let me touch him. Why? Because since he's been sitting there working on it, he has realized how much it hurts to pull that hair. Sigh.....I give him options. I am not going to sit here and fight with him. Either I leave the room to find that elusive cup of coffee or he lets me work on it, which may hurt and I will try not to hurt him. Waaaaaaaa! Neither option is great for him. I was hoping to get that coffee!

He finally lets me pour some oil on it. We let it sit for a bit. He won't let me work on it at all. So I go find that coffee! However, he quits his fit and realizes he can get it out. Nice! We wash the oil off and he gets out of the bathtub.

"Mom, I am so sorry for all of that." "Sweetie, thank you."

Our Annual Apple Orchard Excursion

Again, another perfect day....

Our Adventures at the Pumpkin Patch

Yes, today was the chosen day to go out to the pumpkin patch. We went with our pastor and his family, which includes four children. We watched how our older boys maneuvered us through the corn maze, figured out the clues, and had a great attitude. The younger tykes were helped up onto the huge hay pyramid with no complaining. We rode a bumpy hayride that made our lower lumbar scream and our motherly fears kick in as we watched three year olds bounce around mercilessly. Our children followed the rule "you can't pick a pumpkin you can't carry" without a fault. Three of the children rode a silly cow ride that is as old as our parents and loved it.

It was....a perfect day. I hope you enjoy the pictures half as much as we enjoyed our day.

What a week!

I might seem absent....because I am.

T minus thirty six hours and counting.....my husband coming back from being gone since Tuesday.

Why? He makes an annual pilgrimage to Scotland to meet with his PhD advisor. I am hoping this is one of the last times he makes this journey. He is on the home stretch of his doctorate degree, and I can't wait!

But more importantly, I can't wait for several things.

Here is my list of what I am looking forward to:

* Not being interrupted while taking a shower. I waited until really late last night (like past midnight) to take a shower, and I still got a little sleepy face poking into the shower asking me for milk.

* A break.

* Not wondering what every bump in the night I hear is. Wondering why the motion detector lights keep going off in the middle of the night. Security in general feels better with hubbie home. Although I have turned on the alarm so that we are safe inside while sleeping.

* To go to the grocery store. I know, I could go with the kids. But right now, three year old is really bad in public. It's a stage, and it shall pass, but it's hideous.

* Eating something other than peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, or tuna sandwiches. The kid fare is getting old.

* Having back up when I hit my wits end.

What I have enjoyed this week:

* Watching whatever I want on TV. I have no clue what is happening on the NFL and don't care to find out.

* Putting kids to bed at their actual bedtime, not when hubbie feels like it. No one is sleep deprived this week except me.

* Why? Because I am also catching up on my movies! "PS I Love You" is in the player waiting for me right now.

* I have the whole queen bed to myself including the covers. Except for the cat.

* I have an awesome friend who watched the kids for a couple of hours today, and it was great! I got a whole bunch of work done that has piled up. I ran a bunch of errands. It will make it easier to sleep tonight knowing a few things got checked off the urgent list.

* I am also planning a trip with the kids to the pumpkin patch tomorrow, weather permitting. Should be fun, and should also burn off the ants that have accumulated in two little boy's pants.

* I don't know if this counts, but it got done, and it needed to get done. Feels good to get it done. I cleaned out the chicken coop today. I know, gross. But with some recent rains, it needed to get done, and the chickens seemed relieved too. Now, I hope they reward me by laying some eggs soon!

Sigh.....my movie is calling.

Good Discussion is Good for the Soul

Here is how it went with JM today. Remembering, we are getting back on track with our attitude this week.

Talking about how people do the most amazingly wrong things. Making wrong decisions that have serious consequences, yet if they had their head on straight, etc. We also had a discussion earlier in the week with a friend about how dumb sheep are, they need a shepherd or else they easily get themselves in trouble, and we as people are referred to as sheep in the Bible. Good discussion!

I started making the connection with JM that God has very much a parental role. He watches His children make mistakes He wishes they wouldn't make, but He can't stop them. Same for us parents, we honestly can't stop our kids from making mistakes, etc.

JM: So you still love me even when I mess up just like God loves us even when we mess up.
Me: Yes.

JM: Why does God love us? Oh I know! He loves those things He has created.

Yup, that about covers it.

And One More Layer of the Onion is Revealed

Homeschooling. As I talk to people who do it, and I know many, I see a running theme. It ain't for the faint at heart. I have talked to some who have stormed out of their homes and vowed to give it up. We have all hit our breaking points. It ain't easy, and I am only three weeks into this, and I am hitting that fearful stage.

We hit the wall this last week. JM hates school. Every kid hates school. But when a homeschooled kid hates school they take it out on their family in whatever way that family operates. So if you are trying to follow all the homeschool experts advice and keep school over here in the "school" category, and home over here in the "home" category, well the lines just got really blurry didn't they?

He refused, cried, yelled, insulted, and overall, had the nastiest attitude. Well, so much for us being ahead of the schedule we had going, we are now behind. On top of that, one lesson we had listed in our "overdue" lesson section was a long and hideous language arts lesson about how to dissect a story. Figure out the beginning, middle and end. How believable the characters are, how the action moves. Then culminated by the student writing their own story, and JM hates to write, plus up to this point all he has done is write answers on worksheets about stories. He is in no mood to write. Plus, he is normally a good reader, and he is sick of reading at this point as well. So all these silly exercises that really should have been divided a little better were now overdue.

I asked the husband (who has done a total of two math lessons thus far) to really delve into this lesson on Saturday while I juggle the other huge aspect in my life--running my business. I was busy on Saturday, and plunged into bed once I got home.

Did the lesson get done? No. Reviewed for the (overdue) math test and finished the (overdue) science lesson, but not this monster lesson in language arts. Hubbie agrees, this kid has the worst attitude.

I walk downstairs this morning and say good morning to my slice of sunshine. Honestly I always say good morning, because it is new, fresh and no carryovers from the day before right? Wrong. Got the sideways snarl in return.

Long talk with the kid, with hubbie in the room. We made it clear. This is it. You need to do this. He agreed to work on his attitude. I also said that he had work to do and was ahead. Now, because of his bad attitude, he has more work to do and is behind. He understood that.

Anyway, sat him down to do this silly math test, which I knew he would ace. The tears began. What?? He is really nervous and afraid, he explains. What if he fails? What if? Sob....what if? He has himself really worked up.

Keep in mind, his first test, he got a D. Why? Not because of him, but because MOM is still getting used to this whole set up and messed up. The teacher is aware of this, and I apologized to JM. But now I have him in a real stew.

Hubbie and I talked calmly about how it's okay if he misses some, it's hard to be perfect, we all miss some, just calm down, do your best, etc. We also explained because he had himself in such a tizzy, he would probably miss a few because he can't concentrate. Lord have mercy! The drama in the last few days has me looking for meds!

He took the test, which I should have just said was a worksheet, because it's everything he has been doing for the last few days, and it only had eleven questions. Easy! He missed one worth three points. Not bad, he got a 86.5 % on it, and you know what? We are happy with that. More importantly, he is happy with that, and it was great to see his sense of accomplishment in his face. I can see why teachers are addicted to watching kids grow in their learning.

It boosted him a bit, and we cranked out some more work for several hours until the hubbie was done. We got the hideous language arts lesson that was four pages of notes just for the instructor! Forget the many worksheets, reading, activities, etc. JM had to do.

Sigh......note to self, next time I am saying that is a math worksheet, not a math test. I really don't want to storm out of my house. If all it takes is for me to say "worksheet" instead of "test" to accomplish that, I will do it!

Constitution Day

And today is Constitution Day at our little homeschool, and according to our lesson plan for the day.

Did a great lesson appropriate for second graders on what the Constitution is, the three branches of government, what they do, the Bill of Rights, etc. Had some great links to websites that had some fun activities. Fun!

We also had a lot of discussion. One of them focused on the Bill of Rights, and all the right to's we have as Americans that other countries don't have. Here is one of our conversations:


Me: JM, we have the right to bear arms. What do you think that means?

JM: The right to wear short sleeves?

Reflections on Homeschooling So Far

So far, this week has been better. Here is what I have realized so far.

1) My kids need a good night sleep. I try to get school started at 8 a.m. If they haven't slept, well then we have yawning, bleary eyed, non focused students.

2) JM has surprised me this week. He is not a self motivated kid. He has always needed lots of prodding to do things. I have dreaded in the last day or so this huge project of writing a composition. It requires him to think up a topic, organize it, and (*gulp*) write sentences. I don't know what angel came and tapped him on the shoulder, but he is finally doing it without me being heavy handed. We did some editing on it today and will finish it tomorrow.

3) I am sure most homeschool parents would agree, you need to find your kid's "handles". Those things about them you can grab onto and use to your benefit. I found one. Several months ago, I found dry erase boards that are lap sized and have pre written lines on them to practice writing. After several days of prodding through writing, I brought the dry erase out today. I required JM to practice writing before working on his composition. He loved using the dry erase. Nice! I like not wasting so much paper. The dry erase lapboards will be used daily.

4) I have already mentioned how much craigslist has helped us so far. The picture is our latest. It's a keyboard to start piano lessons next week. I took my fingers nails and a cleaner to it today. It was dusty! It had been stored in a garage or attic because there was dust in every nook and cranny, and trust me, there are a lot of those on that thing.

I also scored a globe today. We are working on quite a bit of geography, and needing to discuss the relief features of maps, the bumps and grooves showing mountains and valleys. Well, the education store near us has them for like $50 with pimples and dimples for mountains and valleys. I found one on craigslist that has serious mountains and valleys, a special edition one made by Reader's Digest, for $20. We'll be picking that up tonight.

5) JM's math is a non issue. So much consternation about his math last year from his teacher, and his lack of being able to sit still and do it. After a week of realizing it isn't hard, this is a different curriculum, it's bite sized chunks, and mom won't move on until you have finished. We are doing fine. We get it done quickly, first thing, and he is doing well. More importantly, he is feeling confident in his math, which was not the case last year. I totally think it was the weird curriculum she was using.

6) I am saying this to a friend of mine who will probably read this. Her son, I believe is in kindergarten. She reminds me so much of me when JM was in kindergarten. I was so on the fence if this was something we could do. So far, only a few days in, we are doing fine. JM is learning, I am learning, and we are done with school by just after lunch time. His math is excelling, which it wasn't in school. His reading got rusty over the summer, and we are working on that. But so far, I am feeling pretty good about this.

7) Recess. I figured out today. We all need recess. Send them outside to play on the trampoline! That has been great. It gets the wiggles that little boys have out of their system.

8) Talking about science and geography the other day. We were talking about how God speaks mountains into existence.

JM: Really? Wow! Wait! I just thought of something God didn't create.

Me: What?

JM: No, wait, He did. But he didn't make.....no, wait He did that too. (pause) Hmmmm....God created everything huh Mom?

Me: Yup.

Our Latest Acquisitions and Other Worthy Updates

I love craigslist!

I realized a few weeks ago after having a friend who has a trampoline babysit my kids, that I want one of them! Why? They fell asleep immediately after getting in the car and they slept like rocks for the next two nights. I want one! We got one for $60.00 on craigslist.

After our trip to Colorado, and listening to JM on a friend's piano, I realized we need to do piano lessons. When I was seven, I pounded on pianos, and didn't do much for anyone's mood. JM on the other hand, really tries to make music, and you can hear his purpose in his pounding.

Piano lessons! Scored a keyboard for $100.00 today. We also interviewed our piano teacher, and she very much approves of our acquisition. Lessons start next week.

BH's first day of preschool. Play Doh, you can't beat it!
Is he levitating? No.

Soccer season has begun, and here is JM going head to head with his coach.

Our First Week

Many of you have asked, how has our first week of Connections Academy gone?

Good! At least I think so, my son might say differently. Here is what I have noticed:

1) JM struggled in math last year. His teacher made that apparent to us. She was also trying out a new curriculum that was definitely more huge ideas, and big picture of math. I got frustrated because JM just needed to learn what three plus two was. She also kept discouraging me from teaching him math facts. "Studies have shown......".

So, as we have sat down and done math, I have noticed that JM just sits and dilly dallies. I had a pretty good idea that would happen. What he did last year was this--sit and dilly dally during math to the point the teacher would just move on and not wait for him. Of course, she has a whole class to move forward, she can't wait while JM plays drums with his pencils. But he got out of math by doing that, and he knew it.

Now, JM is realizing, I am patient. We will spend two hours doing a math sheet. We won't move on until it's done. Mom will take away the pencils so they can't be drummed with.

2) I love love love love love the math curriculum. Connections Academy uses Calvert Math, which is a prestigious homeschool math program. Why do I love it? It is math facts and big ideas of math. It is an integration and JM is getting it, and isn't so frustrated.

3) I have also noticed that JM can do math. He knows his math facts. He knows how to manipulate numbers, I just think the curriculum she was using last year was too weird. I really do.

4) JM loves to read, loves to write things down, loves to do science. We have had some fun moments doing the projects and things assigned in these areas.

5) JM gets PE credit for playing soccer and participating in Skate Church. Nice! He also got credit for our trip last week to Cripple Creek where we learned about miners and prospectors, donkeys and trains. That was very nice!

5) I used to have breaks in my day. No more. If I am not doing school, I am doing my candle business. And there is nothing in the middle. No break.

6) BH started preschool this week, and he loves it. At first he was balking, but now he loves it, and loves his new friends.

7) BH, because it was his first week of school, now has a nasty cough, runny nose and congestion.

The school year has begun!

It Arrived!

There has been much stress in my little head over this box.

Connections Academy (CA) sends the curriculum, then emails you giving you the tracking number so you can track it. You need to be home to sign for it.

Sounds easy right?

Our dilemma, we didn't get the email. I have talked to other CA families who had their curriculum. I called CA twice and both times they let me know it was shipped on 8/11 but couldn't tell me the tracking number or resend the email.

Even worse, we are out of town very soon! If no one is here to sign for it, it goes back, and we get to start school way off course. There are only a few more "shipping" days that UPS will be able to get it to us.

Yesterday, I spoke with the head guy at CA who really was great at helping me out. He tracked down the tracking number and left me a voicemail saying he had it, and lo and behold, it would be arriving today. Luckily I was home, just in a quiet room attempting to get BH to take his nap.

Ain't it purdy? What is in the plastic baggie? Goggles for science experiments. Scary to think I'll be doing things in my home that require goggles, but let's not think about that. Also, cut off at the top is a top notch pair of headphones. Pretty sure that is to use online doing some conferencing with JM's teacher or "teachlets" where he watches a presentation online.

Here is one stinker, JM is famous for getting ahold of things, playing with them how they were not intended to be played with, and ruining them. Prime example, pencils. He gets into my desk, steals my pencils, then uses them as drumsticks. I usually find them leadless, eraserless, and chewed to bits in his room or on the floor. A million times, I have told him don't do that. I have given him one pencil for school and told him if he ruins it, then he owes me big time. It's making me a little mad lately because he knows he can't do that yet he continues to.

Same for headsets and goggles. I can recall a pair of each that have been absconded with in our home and ruined. Let's see how this goes. These have not been taken out of the package and won't be until needed.

Yes, I could put it in a high place where he can't reach or hide it. I know that. I might even do that if he can't do it for these items.

I also think he should know not to do something when I tell him not to. It's a fine line. Child of God did a post on this recently. That parenting voice inside our heads that say "am I helping my child develop good discipline in how to treat their things? Or am I teaching them that Mom will just put those things out of my reach?"

And that is the foot we will be starting homeschooling on. Lord help us!

Remember When You Were a Kid......

You would get something special and just love it to death?

I remember when I was about 6 and had gotten for my birthday a beautiful raincoat, that was fully plastic with pretty flowers on it. It also came with a floppy rain hat, speckled with the same gorgeous flowers. It also had the sweetest umbrella, and of course it matched. I paraded around in that outfit in the middle of September for weeks, when there is not a drop of rain to be seen in Colorado where I lived at the time. I remember getting made fun of by a mean family down the street from us. They didn't have the cool outfit I had you see.

Well, that happened today for our little guy BH. Since we are off to fly on an airplane soon, I have been mulling about how to get a week's worth of toys and clothes where it needs to go. I decided I need to take advantage of the fact that these kids are fare paying passengers, endowed with the same rights and privileges as myself. In other words, they are carrying some carry on luggage. JM has a suitcase on wheels already and a backpack. BH was another story.

I scored at Target today when I found a little suitcase on wheels, that came as a set with a tiny backpack and fanny pack for $20.00. Score! It also is speckled with spaceship stuff.

You would have thought I brought home Walt Disney himself. That backpack got packed with his favorite teddy bear, the suitcase got wheeled around, and the fanny pack got cinched to it's tiniest setting for his tiny little waist. For about two hours at least. Seriously cute!

Big brother was a bit put out that he didn't get something new and cool looking. So we broke out the foamy stickers and I let him put stickers all over his plain black backpack. Dodged a bullet on that because normally that would have been a screaming fit. We talked about how at the airport, the "policemen" will need to check the packs to make sure they are safe, so we need to do what they say, take them off, etc. So JM stickered the word "police" on the pack so they would know it needed to be checked, or something like that.

My son....accessorizing....

There will be stowaways on this trip. We have a blue bear as well that might be on this flight.

It's literally a fanny pack!

Okay, so why can't we get on the plane NOW!?

More accessorizing the accessories with foam stickers.

School is Coming!

It just struck me the last twenty four hours or so that school is like two weeks away.

I have done the online tutorials that Connections Academy requires of their "Learning Coaches". I feel ready.

What hasn't happened, I haven't gotten the email saying my curriculum has been shipped. That normally wouldn't worry me except we will be out of town sometime soon. If I don't have the curriculum beforehand, I can't take it with me to do on our trip. Then what? Well, I had a freak out moment. Attendance is very important to this program.

What did I do today to stop my freak out moment? I went online to our little family's homepage for Connections Academy and saw the scheduler (yes, they schedule all of this for you with lots of flexibility) was ready to be run. I set aside the couple days that we wouldn't be in attendance. Then I ran the scheduler to accommodate those days. Voila! No more worries! School will start for us after Labor Day.

I also took a peek at the things we'll be doing the first days of school. It is getting exciting to think about! I am just hoping that JM sees that this is serious and not just a get out of school free card.

I am realizing that as I do some of the peeking ahead and reading a resource I got today in the mail, I need to clean out the filing drawers of the desk in the schoolroom. We will need files to keep track of and store items that need to be mailed back to his teacher, kept in a portfolio, etc. Part of the initial lessons are in how to keep organized, and that will be great for JM who honestly, is a slob. The first lessons talk about how keeping things in the right places and neat will help him in his learning. Nice!

It is getting fun to think about.

Two nice things. The vacation we have scheduled coming up will help divert us away from the junky stuff my previous post eluded to. Things are progressing slowly there, and there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

Seriously, I won't have to have my first few days of ever homeschooling to be in front of my parents in a remote place in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. That has given me a freak out moment more than you know.

So far, I am excited and ready for my vacation and homeschooling and the two won't meet.

Blackberries!

Several years ago I got a really good deal in a seed catalogue for 6 or 8 thornless blackberry plants. I was so excited. Blackberries grow like weeds where I live, and I could go find a patch anywhere and pick them.

But I usually need a body glove and a tetanus shot. The thorns are horrible. For sure, there is no way I would take the kids. I jumped on this deal when I saw it and planted the 2 foot tall things in my backyard.



We are on our fourth or fifth growing season with them. They are well over our heads, and this summer will definitely be the first to product some serious fruit. I picked my first bowl yesterday, and as you can see by the branches, there will be many more bowls to come.

AC Green

Remember back in April when I spoke at the Rogue Valley Pregnancy Resource Center's fundraiser? AC Green, great Christian man who happens to be retired from the NBA, also spoke.

You might remember my gallant effort to win an autographed basketball being raffled off. Didn't happen. Another deserving winner won it. AC was kind to offer to me that if I brought my kids to his basketball camp in July that he offers annually to deserving kids, he would sign a ball for my kids. And I cashed in that offer. His basketball camp started today and goes through this week. We got up at the crack of dawn to meet him before his camp began at 8:30 am.

I emailed him about a week ago just to let him know we are looking forward to seeing him, even if briefly, and hope all is well. I was hoping if it wasn't good for him, he would let me know. I didn't hear from him, so I crossed my fingers!

We showed up today, and he walked out looking for me. I am impressed with AC Green. He does not have celebrity snobbiness at all. He had quite a few people waiting to talk to him, yet he took just a few moments to talk with us, shake my kid's hands, sign a basketball, and, in general, take a few moments for my family.

Thank you AC!