4 day weekend

Today was Teacher's Institute and with Monday being MLK Day, Shawn gets a 4 day weekend! He came along to Lilly's Spanish class in the morning and had his own class in the afternoon. Then, Cousin Stephen came for pizza dinner! Shawn invited him to his 2 events tomorrow & I tried to get him to just spend the night, but we'll meet him at football tomorrow.

Cloverbuds

I had SO much fun tonight! I got to be a guest presenter at Shawn's Cloverbuds (pre-4-H) meeting as they explored the theme of sound. (I had to use my little harp because of the logistics of transporting 2 kids in car seats & the instrument by myself!)
We did some experiments. I played music. I felt like a teacher and had a great time having fun with science. Combining a passion with education - one of the reasons I've loved teaching so much & one of the things I miss the most about it.
This is at the very end of my 'gig' as they kids were feeling the vibrations of the music in the wood of the harp, watching the strings vibrate as I played, and simply got an up close look at something they don't see often.
These kids made my night!

An inside day

Being stuck inside, we got creative when needing to burn some energy.  (Turn your speakers up high for this.)

Elev 830 ft 41.95 °N, 88.39 °W 

High 4 | Low -14 °F 0% Chance of Precip

A snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats and Lilly Puri

Lilly and I bundled up to retrieve Shawn from the bus stop this afternoon. I didn't realize it at the time, but there's an uncanny resemblance:
 

	Jackson

Galena Anniversary Tour

Shawn had a Black Friday party at National Karate in the morning. It was probably planned to give parents a chance to shop sans kids for a couple of hours, but neither Raj nor I are very excited about dodging elbows to score a deal, so Shawn partied while Raj saw a couple of patients.

I found myself in terrible shape with food poisoning-like symptoms, yet no one else was affected and we all ate the same thing, which was only slightly reassuring. Along with the awful intestinal/stomach issues, I was dehydrated and having low blood sugar issues to top it off. Lovely! I spent all morning laying on the bathroom floor with my feet propped up on the side of the bathtub. I felt like I had been run over by a truck!

By around 1:00, I was able to stand upright again and felt much better, though far from 'normal.' Still, I was determined to will myself healthy - we were going to Galena!! I was NOT going to miss that!

I slept in the car and felt a little better when we got to our cabin at the Goldmoor Inn. After we unpacked the car and settled in, I couldn't help but giggle as Lilly danced around the cabin repeating, "Mommy happy! Daddy happy! Shawn happy! Baron happy!" (She recently started to put 2 words together and I love her simple sentences!)

(This microwave is a running joke between Raj and me because it's been here for years
and it reaffirms that it really is the land that time forgot!)

We relaxed and soaked in the peacefulness. We decided to go into town for dinner (there aren't many other options). Unfortunately, the drive through the hills sent me back into dizziness, and I had to sit for a few minutes when we parked in town. We picked a nearby restaurant so I wouldn't have to walk far, but the menu didn't have much that I thought I could handle, so I nibbled on crackers and sipped 7-Up. They did let me bring home a cup of soup from the salad bar, which they made sure we knew was against policy (because of their all-you-can-eat special). Luckily, I was able to eat it later back at the cabin. That night I felt significantly better, but still on the road to recovery. I have to admit, just being at the cabin was a great place to feel better!

Shawn slept in a fort made of 2 arm chairs facing each other with a comforter thrown over their tops. He loved it! Lilly slept with Raj and me in the king sized bed. Baron slept by my bedside, keeping an eye on me all night. It was a very quiet and restful night for everyone.

Saturday we had breakfast delivered to us and we ate in bed: yogurt parfait, creme brûlée french toast, sausage, baked apples, coffee, tea, milk, orange juice... I was relieved I could eat again! I would've hated to miss all that!

We spent the day walking around downtown. We visited our regular stops: Galena Canning Company (one of Raj's favorites), an art gallery (we picked out a scene from our drive to the cabin - I've been wanting a local art piece for years!), an old fashioned toy store, a candy store (both favorites for Shawn)... We picked out gourmet caramel apples and chocolates, Christmas ornaments for both kids and a bird feeder for the backyard. It was disheartening to see how many of the businesses were closing their doors by the end of the year; however, hopefully they'll have new merchants move in to keep the town going. It'll be interesting to see how it's changed next year. New businesses could be a good thing, too.

 Shawn found a house that we've never noticed before very close to the main street. It turned out to be the oldest house in Galena and we were able to go on a guided tour. The timing was perfect for Lilly's nap. We learned that it was an 1826 trading post downstairs and the owner, Mr. Dowling and his family, lived upstairs (though he had to go outside to get there - no direct access back then).
"Most folks come to Galena, Illinois, to shop for antiques and arts and crafts and jewelry, dine at some very good restaurants and maybe soak up the history of a town that produced U.S. Grant and eight other Civil War generals. But almost hidden at the far end of Main Street, at a fork in the road known as Diagonal Street, is the home of John Dowling, arguably the first citizen of Galena. His house is the oldest in the town, dating to the early 1800s. It also is the oldest stone structure in Illinois. The narrated tour of Dowling's house and the Galena Territory Trading Post is filled with 1826 furnishings and pottery, which makes it all a very interesting comparison to the Washburne and Belvedere mansions that were constructed later in the century." Shawn loved the tour and our guide admitted she was impressed by his behavior on a 'grown-up' tour (???) I'm bot sure what she was expecting or what her past experience has been with kids, but Shawn smiled from the compliment.

(Copied from http://home.comcast.net/~mywebfiles/galena/galena_002.htm)

We also walked through a small welcome center that honored U.S. Grant and had shelves of memorabilia, history, and archives. Shawn wasn't as enthusiastic about this history lesson, but it was getting late in the day, so his interest was fading in general.

We caught the last half of a holiday parade. Santa brought up the end with a horse drawn carriage. (We had tried to see him all day at a little hut in the center of town, but it turned out that we were looking for him at the wrong place. By the time we realized where he had been all day, he was gone. Oops.)

For dinner, we went to The Woodstone Restaurant at Eagle Ridge Resort. It's on the outskirts of town, which we pass each year when we arrive. Food was good, but nothing special.

Back at the cabin, I turned my phone back on (I enjoy being unplugged while in Galena), but only for the camera mode. I figured out how to set a delay and we got a family picture in one of our favorite places.

Then, the kids got silly playing with stuff in the cabin.

Look out! There's a bear behind you!	Row, row, row your boat...
Taking a closer look	He's my size!

Kiss on the nose!

Awww, I love it. Stories before bedtime.

On Sunday, we enjoyed our breakfast in bed again: ham soufflé, yogurt parfait, fresh fruit, coffee, tea, milk, orange juice... Yum. After we packed up the car, we headed back into town just to make sure we didn't miss anything. We also went for a short hike near the Galena River. It was cold, so my efforts to defer our departure didn't last long. Luckily, Shawn helped postpone our trip home by suggesting we get lunch first. We found a little cafe (that was only serving breakfast) and filled up before driving back to St. Charles.

Back home, Raj must've been inspired by our getaway because he threw himself into holiday decorating mode. We don't have a tree yet and we're getting help to put lights outside, but the inside of our house is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

As much as I enjoy Galena and hate to leave our peaceful retreat, I do love our home. (Plus, I'm feeling significantly better than a few days ago!)

Thanksgiving 2014

Shawn's had all week off of school. It's been nice to have him around. (I'm sure the day will come when I look forward to having the kids return to school, but that day hasn't come just yet.) We didn't schedule the week full of lots of special 'days-off' activities - we had some, but it was nice to have a chance to relax a bit.

Raj took Shawn to Dadaji's to hang out for a little while before they all came back for our feast. Lilly stayed home with me and we held a small dance party while I chopped, mixed, and roasted. (Having a double oven made it a lot easier than in past years!)

The Thanksgiving Feast menu:  Green bean casserole with sausage popovers Cheesey corn casserole Creamed spinach (one of Raj's favorites) Stuffing with sausage in the crockpot Garlic mashed potatoes Sweet potato bake layered with marshmallows (I left out the cashews though) Roasted veggies Wild rice blend with cranberries  Cranberry sauce (from a can) Black olives Turkey with gravy
	There was hardly room for our dinner plates! It's good to send plenty of leftovers home with Dadaji.

To initiate the meal, Shawn read a Thanksgiving poem to us. It was the first time Dadaji heard him read. Shawn beamed with pride. (It was cute to watch him practice reading his lines in anticipation of his reading debut!) 

"Gobble, gobble!
Who is that?
Turkey Gobble big and fat.
Gobble, gobble!
What did you say?
Meet me on Thanksgiving Day!"

	Poor Lilly must have overdone it at our mini-dance party earlier because she only lasted long enough to take a bite or two before she just couldn't hold her eyes open any more. She napped through dinner and woke, still a little sleepy, just as we were clearing the table.

Though Raj was still eating and had a fork mid-way to his mouth to take a bite, Dadaji was anxious to get back to his house and go to bed. (I'll never understand his sleep schedule and need for sleeping pills.) Raj had tried to convince him to stay at our house for the night, mainly so he wouldn't have to drive back & forth, but he wouldn't accept the invitation. Raj finished his last few bites before his dad insisted on going home. By the time Raj returned from taking him home, we had cleared the table, packed up the leftovers (aside from what we sent home with Dadaji), washed most of the dishes, set the dishwasher to run, and got the kids into pajamas. After a long but enjoyable day, everyone was ready to crawl into bed.

As Shawn said at bedtime, "Mom, we have a lot to be thankful for! Don't we?"

Yes, we certainly do.

Shawn wears a brain cap

I printed the morning routine checklist that I made for Shawn yesterday and put it in a plastic sleeve so it could be reused.

I don't know if it's the novelty of it or what, but he loved checking off the boxes. I looked in on him once and thought I had caught him stalling under his covers, when in fact he was half dressed already! He was just getting ready under his blankets! (Totally fine with me as long as he gets ready and doesn't fall back to sleep!) By the time I had finished getting ready, he was completely done. Raj was even able to get Shawn breakfast before he went to work. This is a first! Holy cow! (Bonus: Shawn had fun teasing me about how fast he was and that he was waaaaaaaaaiting for me!) What a great way to start the morning - no nagging & no rushing around trying to catch up.

Today is Shawn's last day of participating in BioTots this year. He was really excited to work with Evan again and earn his 'paycheck.' They did number & word games, drumming & clapping rhythm tests, cortical tests, phonological tests, and working memory tests.

Here's a copy of all of the assessments they've done during our 3 visits this year. They were busy! Some are familiar to me from my teaching days, but others are foreign. I'm sure some are unique to this study, too. (I'm hoping Evan can get me the results! I think it would be interesting to see how Shawn changes over time according to data.)

The session ended with Shawn hooked up to 36 'buttons' to study his brainwaves. Getting the cap on & having gel squirted into each of the 36 individual contact points was probably the least comfortable of the experience.  Once it was on though, it really didn't seem to bother Shawn at all. The hardest part was not moving very much while it was on while he watched a movie. Last year he was not a fan of this part, even when they used fewer buttons, because there's an earpiece whispering distractions while he watches the movie and the movie's volume isn't very loud - loud enough, but maybe not when you've got extra noises in one ear. None of that seemed to bother him this year. More mature? Better focus/ignoring skills? Male selective hearing already kicking in? I wonder...
The gel for the contact points left Shawn with an interesting hairdo when the cap came off! We joked that Raj has always wanted to put gel in his hair & give him a spiked look, but this isn't what he had in mind!

Shawn had fun, earned $30, and got a new t-shirt. It was a little disappointing that he's done for a year. Shawn's had a good time working/playing with Evan. Hopefully Shawn will be able to continue participating as the years go by.