Aloha Monkeys

{Wordless Wednesday} Experimenting With The Camera

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:24:00 +0000

I’m borrowing Claudia’s Nikon D70s camera to do a Senior Portrait session with the son of a friend. That’s planned for this Sunday. Depends on the weather, since they want to do it outdoors by the water.

I picked up the camera this morning and went straight home to play with it. There’s so much to learn about the settings. And I don’t have a manual to refer to.

These are just a few of the best shots that I got. I hope our photo shoot has better results.

If you want to see more “Wordless” Wednesday posts, visit the WW Headquarters.

{Take Me Back Tuesday} Halloween of 1998

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:18:00 +0000

This picture takes me waaaaaay back. Back to the days when I was pushing thirty. Now I’m approaching the top of the hill.

No, this is NOT how I used to dress for work when I was working at the credit union. It was Halloween and I was dressed as a Hawai’i tourist. Although, the camera hanging around my neck isn’t too much of a costume.

If you want to play along, visit Kari’s blog for the rules.

***Credits: Vicki Templates and Kitchen Scrap Designs

Birthday Mahalo!

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:05:00 +0000

(***Credits: “Blooming Friendship” by Jady Day Studio)

Welcome to NaBloPoMo “Day 9.” Am I keeping up with my daily posts? I THINK I am. The past few days have been a blur (as usual), so I may have lost track.

I made this “quick” layout to thank everyone who helped me celebrate my birthday.

The next birthday on the calendar is Picasso’s 8th. What to do, what to do. The boys are always talking about their birthday “party” like it’s a given.

BOTH of their birthdays occur when the kids are on school breaks. Picasso’s is a few days after Christmas. The only solution I can think of is to have a party when the kids go back to school. Or better yet, skip the party all-together. Who says that kids must have a birthday party every year?

We shall see.

“Surprise!” Birthday Party

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:20:00 +0000

Last night I thought Todd was just taking me out to dinner for my birthday, while my mom watched the boys at our house.

We went to Fuji Japanese Steak House for some tepen yaki. It was a meal and entertainment all rolled into one experience.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Until after dinner when Todd told me that my mom had arranged for us to go to some show. We supposedly had to meet my cousin and his girlfriend at our house so that we could carpool.

Huh? Okay, that’s very weird.

When we reached our house there were cars parked in our cul-de-sac. That’s nothing out of the ordinary because one of our neighbor’s house is party central. I just said, “This party better not be at our house.”

We pull into the driveway. Todd turns off the ignition. Then he hands me my keys. That was a dead giveaway. That was indicating that we were home for the night and weren’t going to this “show.”

To top that off, he actually let me walk through the door first. That’s a little unusual too.

I opened the door and screamed when I saw all the black and pink decorations, and my family and friends waiting for us to come home.

Hahaha! You guys got me! That was awesome.

I even got a few gifts!

Thanks, everyone, for making my 40th Birthday such an awesome one! Picasso was even able to keep his little secret from me for an entire day.

Thank goodness I did SOME house cleaning over the past couple of days.

{Saturday Photo Hunt} Veterans/Military

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:12:00 +0000

NaBloPoMo: “Day 7”

This weeks theme is appropriate with Veteran’s Day quickly approaching.

Here’s a picture of the Air Force Color Guard at a Memorial Service I attended last year.

Thank you to all our military men and women who are serving, or have served, our country. May God Bless You!

If you’d like to take a peek at more “Military” photos, visit tnchick’s blog.

{Company Girl Coffee} Happy Birthday To Me

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:23:00 +0000

Come on in and have some coffee. I even baked a batch of chocolate chip scones to go along with it.

Yes! It’s my birthday! I won’t tell you which one, though. That’s classified information. Let’s just say there’s a zero in there someplace. Okay, okay, it’s the big 4-OH. No big deal. Age is just a number.

Look at this cute card that Einstein made for me this morning.

Picasso was working on making one too, but the perfectionist in him was causing some moodiness. It just wasn’t coming out the way he wanted. That put him in a grumpy mood. I hat it when he gets that way because he just shuts down and doesn’t want to talk to anybody. I’m sure he’ll come home from school in a better mood.

We’re not doing anything special for my birthday today. Tomorrow night my husband is taking me out to dinner while my mom watches the boys.

When we get home my mom will crack open a bottle of wine. Now that’s what I’m talking about.

Tomorrow is Birthday Party #2 for Picasso to attend. Another 3rd grade girl.

Alright, I have to keep this short because I have LOTS to do around the house.

Next week Saturday I’ll be hosting a “Scentsy” party. I want to start cleaning now so I don’t have to scramble the day before.

Crazy Kids, and PTA Plug

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:11:00 +0000

It’s “Day 5” of NaBloPoMo, and as I type this post it’s 2:33pm. Whew, that’s cutting it close. The boys will be home from school in another hour, which means homework time. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on composing a post.

And speaking of homework; yesterday while Einstein was doing his Kindergarten homework, he had me laughing. His task was to draw five pictures of things that begins with the letter “j.” One of the things he chose to draw was a jar. I gave him a jar of pizza sauce to use as his model. As he’s drawing he starts “shading” the edges of his jar because “That’s how the pros do it.” According to him, nobody taught him how to do it, he just knows how. He says that “the shading makes it look more real.” Hahaha! That’s so funny!

Then there’s Picasso. Oh, my absent minded, one-track-mind Picasso. Today’s lunch was macaroni & cheese, Caesar salad, green beans, cherry tomatoes, and a giant goldfish cookie. I don’t know about you, but it just doesn’t sound very appetizing.

I asked him YESTERDAY if he was going to have hot lunch or cold lunch. He said he was going to eat the hot lunch. Okay.

I asked him THIS MORNING if he was going to have the hot lunch or cold lunch. Because, again, it doesn’t sound very good to me. He said he was going to eat the hot lunch.

Even Einstein wanted the hot lunch. Okay.

Later on in the morning I get a phone call from Picasso. He’s calling me from the school office, accusing me of forgetting to give him his cold lunch. Yes, you read that right. Did I miss something?

We went back and forth over the phone for a minute before I told him that that’s not what the school phones are for. He needs to take care of this before he leaves the house in the morning. Because, not only was he accusing me of forgetting to put his lunch in his bag, but he was making special requests and telling me what to bring for him. Funny kid, I know.

Only because I had to run an errand this morning anyway (AND because I didn’t want him to use $2.60 from his lunch account on food he wouldn’t eat), I told him I’d bring him lunch this one time, but the next time he just has to have the hot lunch. AND, he’d get whatever I packed for him.

Last night I attended a class called “PTA & the Law.” I know, it sounds like a snoozer, but it was actually very interesting. Wow! There are so many rules and regulations. In essence, the PTA is almost like a business. It had me reminiscing about my banking days. Dual control. I learned a lot.

Are you a member of the PTA at your child’s school? If you’re not, I would strongly recommend becoming one. Until I became a member of the Board of Directors, I had no idea what the PTA did, and what an impact they make. This organization does a lot for the school and the kids. You really have a better appreciation when you get involved and see what goes into running the organization. It’s just sad that we don’t have very much participation at our school. But that’s just my opinion.

And now I have twenty minutes before the monkeys get home. See you tomorrow.

{Wordless Wednesday} Fall Sunshine

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:25:00 +0000

It’s “Day 4” of NaBloPoMo. So far, so good.

Okay, so I don’t really like the crisp air that comes along with the Fall Season, but I DO love seeing the leaves changing colors. Sunshine is definitely a BONUS.

If you want to see more “Wordless Wednesday” participants, visit the WW Headquarters.

{Take Me Back Tuesday} Baby Portrait

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:56:00 +0000

Welcome to “Day 3” of NaBloPoMo. Wooho! I’m on a roll.

I came across this baby picture of Picasso this morning. It’s been decorating my clear plastic Q-Tips container for years. Look at those cheeks! Don’t you just want to reach in and pinch them?

I might have a biased mom opinion, but I think he’s just the cutest thing. I think the girls in his classroom would agree with me, though.

Yesterday while I was volunteering in the classroom, Mrs. H shuffled the kids around to different tables. I think they move every month. It was a pretty random process. She handed each student a playing card. Whichever number they got is the table they were assigned to.

A couple of the girls got nines. When Picasso got his card and revealed his card, a couple of the girls that got the same number were giddy with joy. I had to laugh to myself. It was just funny. I remember those days when I was the giddy girl…many, many, many years ago. This month he’s the only boy on a table with three girls. I’m keeping my eye on them.

If you want to participate in “Take Me Back Tuesday” visit Kari’s Blog.

{Friend Makin’ Mondays} Halloween Candy

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:23:00 +0000

Welcome to Day 2 of NaBloPoMo. I’m really here two days in a row. I barely made it because the boys got out of bed late. That would be expected if you wake up at 3:33am and attempt to watch TV instead of going back to sleep. The only reason I know this is because Picasso woke us up at that time to tell us that the batteries in the TV remote were dead. The boys were then forcefully prompted to go back to bed.

Anyway, I let them sleep in a little late with the intention of driving them to school. But since they were ready to leave before the bus pick-up time, I put them on the bus instead. That gives me a little bit of time to myself before leaving for my appointments.

So this week Amber at {ae filkins} is asking everyone what their favorite Halloween Candies are. That’s pretty easy—anything chocolate. But more specifically: Kit Kat, Reese’s, Hershey’s Bars, or Milky Way Midnight. “We” didn’t get ANY of the latter. The boys didn’t get too much chocolate this year, which is better for my hips anyway.

So what’s YOUR favorite Halloween Candies? If you want to share or see what others answered, jump over to Amber’s blog.

Halloween Festivities

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Day 1 of NaBloPoMo, or National Blog Posting Month. While the NaBloPoMo community participates year round, November is the official NaBloPo Month. I’ve done it in the past, but that was before I got involved in so many extra curricular activities (i.e., PTA, Cub Scouts, Bible Studies, Awana.) Needless to say, doing a daily post may prove to be challenging, but I’m going to give it my best.

This year for Halloween I decided to make costumes for the boys. (Note to self: Next year look for something at the thrift store to throw together, or just buy the darned things.)

Einstein was somewhat of a Batman, while Picasso was something resembling The Grimm Reaper. Here’s a quick layout I made. (Credits: Fangs For the Memories Kit by Summer Driggs)

Friday Night was fun and games at the Cub Scouts Halloween Party. The boys played games at different stations to earn their candy. They also had a cake walk where Picasso won a tray of cupcakes. He also tried to eat a donut hanging from a string.

Last night we went to our church for the Hatchback Harvest Party. We started in the parking lot collecting candy, then went inside where it was much warmer. The boys played in the bounce house for a little while before it was time to go home. They didn’t collect a whole bunch of candy, but it was enough to satisfy them.

One day down, twenty-nine to go. Will she do it? Check back to find out.

{Saturday Photo Hunt} Bags

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:12:00 +0000

Lunch “Bags” all in a row in Einstein’s Kindergarten class. (I knew this shot would come in handy for something some day.)

To see more “Bags” jump over to tnchick’s blog.

{MckLinky Blog Hop} Fantabulous Foto Free For All

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:05:00 +0000

Well, I don’t know how “Fantabulous” these fotos are, but they’re proof that Fall is in the air.

I took these just this morning while walking to the bus stop. One of the things that annoy me the most about Fall is all those darned spider webs! Sometimes they’re not even webs; they’re just strands that hang there right in my path. I think those are the MOST annoying because you don’t know they’re there until you walk through them.

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{SOOC Sunday} It’s All About the Food

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:12:00 +0000

Last Friday Mom treated Einstein and me to lunch at Tofu Hut. They categorize themselves as an “Asian Fusion” restaurant.

I wasn’t sure that they’d have anything that Einstein would eat, but they did. He had skewered chicken with their house sauce. It was yummy. He said he could’ve eaten two more.

This montage of Korean side dishes (above) came with my dish. I had the Korean Seafood Spicy Stew (below). It was bubbling when the waitress brought it to the table. I wasn’t really sure how to approach it. I asked for a spoon to expedite the eating process. There was clams, shrimp, scallops, tofu, mushrooms, and an egg in this stew. Of course, on their 1-5 scale of spicy, I ordered the spiciest. It was perfect for a chilly day. Mom had the Pad Thai Noodles with tofu and chicken(below).

If you want to see more pictures straight out of the camera, jump on over to Jan’s blog. We’re off to church now. A hui hou!

{Saturday Photo Hunt} Anything Goes

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:54:00 +0000

Today’s theme is “Anything Goes,” so I thought I’d share the Comfort Books that I put together for the boys to put in their “emergency kits” for school.

A couple weeks ago the boys brought home notes requesting items for individual emergency kits in case there was some sort of natural disaster or emergency that prevented the parents from picking their kids up right away. They needed a bottle of water, a healthy snack, and a letter of encouragement. I decided to put together a little photo book for them too. (Credits: Under the Bed Kit by Bella Gypsy, Bragbook Templates by Connie Prince)

The past week was safety week so they had a different drill every day. I was there on the days they had their earthquake and lockdown drills. The thing that really stands out is how the kids, as a student body, demonstrated their ability to stay quiet during the drills. I was very impressed.

As a parent, it’s very comforting to know that these drills are done so that the kids have experience following through with what’s expected of them if such an emergency should occur.

During the earthquake drill I was having flashbacks of the earthquake we had here about eight years ago. I was at work and Tiani was at school—I think she was in 2nd grade at the time. It was the first, and hopefully last, earthquake I experienced.

If you want to see more of “Anything Goes,” jump over to tnchick’s blog.

{Saturday Photo Hunt} Sports

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:05:00 +0000

While I was hunting for “sports” photos I came across these from a few years ago. They brought a smile to my face to remember how little the boys used to be. They’re growing up so fast! This was their first experience playing sports.

Einstein wanted to play t-ball. Picasso wanted to play basketball. After a few practices, Einstein decided he didn’t want to play anymore, so his big brother filled in for him for the rest of the session.

When the t-ball session ended, Picasso went on to basketball. It was HIS turn to not want to play. He liked shooting hoops, but didn’t like running across the court. Unfortunately for him, Daddy was the coach and there was no copping out. On the plus side of things, their team was undefeated.

If you want to see more “sports,” jump over to tnchick’s blog.

{Company Girl Coffee} What’s Been Keeping Me

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:14:00 +0000

Good morning! And, Happy Aloha Friday! Come on in and help yourself to a cup of coffee while I update you on what’s been keeping me from blogging.

Awana is back in session, and now both of the boys are in Sparks (Grades K-2). While Einstein is very excited, Picasso isn’t too enthusiastic—he doesn’t like working at memorizing the bible verses. This will be his last year as a Spark before moving up to T&T next year, so he’s enjoying being one of the older kids in the group. But I’m convinced that the only thing keeping him semi-motivated is the fact that I gave him an ultimatum—he can either participate in Awana with his brother, or he can sit with me in my adult bible study class. Hmm, have fun with the other kids, or sit with boring adults? Yeah, that’s a tough decision. By the way, Einstein is rocking with his handbook. He already has 4 sections memorized. He was also a champ at balancing the beanbag on his head during game time.

I finally had my two cavities taken care of on Monday. I was told that those teeth would be sensitive to cold for about two weeks. But I’m also finding that I can’t chew with them either. My teeth are sensitive to pressure. I hope the sensitivity goes away soon because the left side of my mouth is getting tired of doing all the work.

I also had my fill of various meetings this week. Monday was my first Cub Scouts Committee meeting as the secretary. I found that I really need to exercise my listening and note taking skills. I wasn’t there just to take up space, I actually had a task to complete. I just wrote down anything and everything and edited later.

I was glad I wasn’t required to record the minutes of the PTA meeting that I attended the following night. Oh boy, THAT’S a big job. Especially since the meeting lasted for about two hours!

While I was at the PTA meeting, Todd had to take Picasso to his den meeting. Contrary to what some people may think, I just can’t be in two places at once.

I started working on Einstein’s Halloween costume. His is fairly simple—bat wings sewn from felt.

Picasso’s costume will be a little more complex since I’ll need to dig way down deep in my memory bank to see if I can recall how to actually use a pattern. I don’t know what he’s actually going to be, but I’m using this Grim the Reaper type pattern.

If you look closely, it says “Sew Free” on the bottom-right corner. What’s that all about? Sewing is definitely required. And it’s supposed to be a two hour project. For who? A seamstress? How long should it take for a seamstress challenged mom? Stay tuned to find out.

Then there’s my women’s bible study every Thursday morning. I’ve been a total slacker. I go to the studies, then go home and get sucked into FaceBook, playing all those addictive games that turn your brain to slush: FarmVille, Cafe World, Bejeweled. Then I save my homework for the day before the next meeting. What kind of example am I setting for my boys? Good thing they don’t keep track of my schedule.

After my study yesterday, I volunteered at the boys’ school for a bit. I wanted to be there to take pictures of Einstein during his very first PTA Walkathon. He did five laps, which really surprised me. That’s a total of one and a quarter of a mile! Woohoo! Each child received a little foot charm for participating. They’ll get the rest of their prizes (a glowing bouncy ball, and school water bottle) later. Picasso will be doing the Walkathon today. He’s determined to do at least six laps just to out-do his brother.

I hope you enjoyed your visit, and your coffee. Have a great weekend. The boys will be spending Saturday night with Grandma and Grandpa, so that’ll give me the whole weekend to work on costumes.

{Saturday Photo Hunt} Words

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 17:38:00 +0000

These “words” are one of my favorite bible verses by default—it was my dad’s favorite verse and I sort of got attached to it.

To see more “words,” visit tnchick’s blog.

{MckLinky Blog Hop} 3 Things Every Parent Should Teach Their Kids

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:24:00 +0000

1) Manners—the good ones! My husband and I have been complimented by total strangers about how well behaved our boys are. If they only knew how they behave when we’re at home. LOL! But seriously, it makes me feel good to know that we’re doing our duty, as parents, to teach our boys appropriate behavior and manners.

2) To clean up after themselves. (Where did I go wrong? I feel like a slave in my own home. But, it IS a work in progress.)

3) Honesty and good morals. If there’s one character flaw I can’t tolerate, it’s LYING!

Special thanks to Shoplet.com-Purell Hand Sanitizers for sponsoring this blog hop.

{Friend Makin’ Monday} A Few of My Favorite Things

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:43:00 +0000

Today, Amber is asking us to list a few of the things, other than the obvious—family and friends, that we can’t live without. So here goes…

1) My laptop and everything that goes along with it—internet, FaceBook, blogs.

2) My iPhone and all it’s uber-cool applications. And now it’s MMS capable. What does that mean? It means that now I can send and receive photos in a text message. Can you believe that with all the cool stuff the iPhone is capable of, it couldn’t do that one simple thing that every other phone could do?

3) Coffee

4) TV and my DVR. I have too many favorite TV shows that are aired at the same time. Besides, I like to fast forward through the commercials anyway.

5) Photoshop Elements. I wouldn’t be able to do my digital scrapbooking without it, or my external hard drive.

6) and, last but not least, my camera. I never leave home without it. You just never know when a photo opportunity will present itself. Although, my iPhone is a close second best in case of emergency.

So what can’t YOU live without? If you want to play along, visit Amber’s blog.

And now, I’m going to get my day started—very slowly. The hubby already sent the boys off to school since it’s his regular day off. My back is having more issues, so I just may visit the doc later on this morning. And, I have a hair appointment this afternoon. I hope your day isn’t in slow motion like mine will be.

A hui hou!

{SOOC Sunday} Give and Receive

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:30:00 +0000

Yesterday was a busy one for me. It started off at the church, where I participated in the blood drive. The entire process took about an hour, but the actual donation part took ten minutes.

When I got there, one of the blood bank people looked for my name in their computer. It was still there, about ten years after my first donation, under my maiden name.

Step two was to fill out a questionnaire about my history, and sign on the dotted line. Then they pricked my finger to get a sample of my blood to test my iron level. They want it to be at least 12.5. Mine was 11.7. She said it could be a fluke and asked me if I wanted to do another test. She put a heat pack on a different finger. Apparently my hands were cold and could have been the cause of my low reading. I guess that did the trick because my second test level was 13.3. I was good to go.

Here I am with my pink bandage. Did you think I’d pick any other color?

When I was done there, I went to the store to get some ingredients to make burritos for lunch—that’s what the boys wanted. Then I went home, fried up the meat, had lunch, and left for my trek to Tukwila to participate in a music research project.

A couple weeks ago I received a text message from the radio station I listen to (Sprit 105.3). They were looking for women who fell into my age bracket to participate. They were offering $50 to each participant. That got my attention, so I called. I answered a few preliminary questions to see if I qualified, and I DID. Cool.

So yesterday I was in a room with about 50 women. We each had a little black box to rate snip-its of 300 songs. Whenever the song played, we turned the dial to a number between zero and ten to rate that song. I was surprised that I even knew that many songs.

When the rating was done, the participants were paid a surprise visit by Scott and Sarah. They’re two of the DJs (are they still called that?) from Spirit 105.3. As soon as I heard Scott speak I recognized his voice. He thanked us all for our time and showed his appreciation. After answering a few questions they waited outside to meet and greet and take a few pictures. On our way out of the room we each received a $50 bill for our time. Next to having my picture taken with Tom and Sarah, that was my most favorite part of the whole process.

If I slurred my words while writing this post, blame it on the drugs. My back started acting up again yesterday. I was still in pain this morning, so I took one of the pills my doctor prescribed. It started to take effect within ten minutes. So I’m still feeling comfortable and relaxed, but a little fuzzy at the same time.

If you want to see more straight out of the camera pictures, head on over to Jan’s blog.

{Saturday Photo Hunt} Twisted

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:42:00 +0000

Here’s a twisted sculpture at the Ballard Locks in Seattle. I thought it was pretty cool, as well as twisted—perfect for today’s theme.

If you want to see more “twisted” photos, jump over to tnchick’s blog.

And now, I’m going to get ready to donate blood, then head up to SeaTac to participate in a music research project. I’ll be rating music and sharing my thoughts. It should be interesting. Oh yeah, did I mention that I’m getting paid $50 for my time? Sounds like fun—I HOPE!

{Take Me Back Tuesday} Anchors Aweigh

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:56:00 +0000

***Note: I originally had this post titled “Anchors Away,” but was informed by my husband that it’s “aweigh.” At least, I THINK that’s how it’s spelled. I don’t know, I was never in the Navy, so I don’t know the meaning behind the song. It all SOUNDS the same to me. LOL!

Here’s one from the treasure trove. This is my husband when he was in the Navy—a long, long time ago. I think this was taken in 1991. He brought this picture home the other day, along with some other treasures that his grandma and parents kept over the years. This is a good one to keep for the boys. All I have to say is, “Wow!” Things sure do change a lot over time. Hahaha!

If you want to play along, jump over to Kari’s blog for the rules.

{SOOC Sunday} Math Refresher

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:11:00 +0000

I think I mentioned before that Picasso is in a multi-grade class this year with 2nd and 3rd graders. He falls into the 2nd grade scope of things.

As of the ending of his 1st grade year he was reading at a 4th grade level. His Kindergartener brother is catching up pretty quickly. I’d guess Einstein is reading at a 1st grade level. Okay, okay, enough bragging.

For the first week of school, Picasso came home with a packet of math homework that had me scratching my head. There were fractions and word problems. I tried to explain the concept of fractions to him using money as an analogy. You know, a quarter is called that because it’s a quarter of a dollar. And I drew some diagrams. He sort of got it, but in the process I was starting to feel inadequate.

After talking to Mrs. H, I found out that she gave him 3rd grade math homework just to see how much he already knew. She’ll be giving him 2nd grade homework this week. Whew.

But, in the mean time, I borrowed a bunch of books to brush up on MY math knowledge so that I can help him get ahead. Am I an over-achiever mom? Maybe, but I’d just like to keep him in the know so that he has a clue when it’s introduced to him in class. It doesn’t hurt to be ahead, does it?

If you have a straight out of the camera photo to share, or just want to see more, jump over to Jan’s blog.

{Saturday Photo Hunt} Upside-Down

alohamonkeys@gmail.com (Tracey@Aloha Monkeys) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:55:00 +0000

If you want to see more of “Upside Down,” jump on over to tnchick’s blog.