Week 27 ~ Blessings Abound

We had a pretty good week. Anne is gearing up for a show next weekend, and rehearsals are keeping her busy. The video clip below is of an adult class that has nothing to do with a show. It is just a fun class to work on skills. One thing I love about our main dance studio is the way they encourage everyone to dance regardless of skill, age or body type. A prime example is this adult class. There are professionals, motivated teens and adults who are just starting out in their love of dance. They all love and support each other.

I took Dean and his homeschooled girlfriend on a field trip to a glass making studio. It was fascinating and the products they made were gorgeous. Check the link to see the finished products. Taking these two on art field trips is a wonderful way to finish up Dean's Visual Arts III credit and we live in the perfect town for field trips.

A real blessing to our family is games. I know I have said it before, but it really is true. Our family has started playing Dungeons and Dragons once a week as a family. This was a strong interest of our adult son, and as things go in our family, everyone tends to get into an activity in one way or another to support the interested party. We play this game in a very family-friendly style, so we all have fun. We are enjoying painting little figurines together and creating an imaginary world in which to search for treasure. It has proven to be educational, too, since it takes lots of research to figure out what each character can do. The kids are also working on teamwork, negotiations, pragmatic language skills, strategy, math skills and expanding their imaginations (my kids have always been much more on the side of logic and rules than imaginary play).

We also played Snake Oil, Say Anything and Munchkin this week. All are great games that expand imagination and encourage debate, teamwork and pragmatic language skills.

This week a blessing came in the way of a check. When my father died, he left me a small portion of his life insurance. I would rather have him, of course, but I will use this windfall to help our family as much as possible. My husband's car was really getting to be a danger to him and others. It was 19 years old. Most of its electrical system had failed and it apparently had become invisible, since he had been hit three times in the last 18 months. So the first order of business was to buy a "new to him" car. After much research and looking on the Internet, we saw one that looked perfect and went out to see if all our family would fit in it. It was perfect and beyond what we had hoped to be able to purchase. So now he has a 2014 Chevrolet Impala with low mileage! I am so happy that he is in a safe car again. We plan to take a trip and replace our roof with the remaining funds.

Next week, I hope to talk about where we are in our school year. We did get lots of academics done this week, and I can see the end in sight for a few credits. That is exciting!

Blessings, Dawn