tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38612065056515941772024-03-13T05:24:23.072-05:00Weekends With DadKevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-68139370720466627412008-05-30T08:37:00.003-05:002008-05-30T08:43:32.156-05:00Running Without DadWe continued a yearly tradition this year of going to run in the Avon Eagle Run. Levi has run this either 4 or 5 times now. They put on a very nice kids run, every kid gets a shirt and a trophy and plenty of food (pizza, fruit, cookies). They also have face-painting, clowns, and a DJ. "Rae" warmed up by doing the limbo, the chicken dance, and the macarena.<br /><br />I've run the 5-mile race the past couple years, but was on the sideline this year due to my hernia.<br /><br />"Levi" took the race pretty seriously. He started conservatively and moved his way up. Around 1/4 mile he was about one third of the way back, poised and ready for the frontrunners to start fading. By the next time I saw him, with less than 1/4 mile to go, he was moving into 3rd place. He passed one more kid but finished 6 seconds behind the winner with a 5:21 time for the short (we think) course.<br /><br />"Bess" started off with "Rae". She has learned that running is more fun when she takes it easy, runs steady, and doesn't try to compete with her older brother. She ran even all the way and finished in 7:14.<br /><br />Rae took a few walk breaks but still finished in 7:48. After the race, she said "I would have run 7:14 if Bess would have stayed with me."KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-5732997795974007452008-04-03T13:49:00.004-05:002008-04-03T14:13:37.936-05:00Spring BreakThe kids were with me from Tuesday night until Sunday night of Spring Break. We did several fun things.<br /><br />"Bess" and "Rae" and I have been reading <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter">Harry Potter</a> books together. I had made a rule several years ago that the kids could not watch the movies until they had read the books. Well we had just finished the first book so on Tuesday night & Thursday morning we watched <a href="http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0241527/">Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone</a>.<br /><br />Wednesday night I took "Nolan", "Levi", and "Bess" to see <a href="http://www.boyslikegirls.com/">Boys Like Girls</a> and <a href="http://www.avrillavigne.com/">Avril Lavigne</a> in concert. We parked by Tower City and walked over to <a href="http://www.csuohio.edu/wolsteincenter/">CSU</a>. Everybody enjoyed the concert, especially Levi who sang along to almost every song. Here is a review I found online at <a href="http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/5280">Cleveland Leader</a><br /><br />As we walked back to the car, we passed some people walking out of the <a href="http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/features/tait_3000broadcast_080317.html">Cavs game</a>. One man tried to hand me a paper and said "Join me in my boycott of the <a href="http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/dance/cavalier_girls_home.html">Cavalier Girls</a> in Jesus name."<br /><br />I laughed and said, "No thanks" and as we were walking away he called out, "Protect your eyes, children."<br /><br />A few blocks later we encountered an older man holding a cup and asking for money. As we walked past he said, "Stay in school, kids." So the kids definitely got a "street education" that night.<br /><br />Thursday we went to <a href="http://www.bostonmarket.com/home">Boston Market</a> for Jay's birthday lunch, and after that we went to the <a href="http://www.ixindooramusementpark.com/">IX Indoor Amusement Park</a>. The boys rode a few rides and then got grumpy and wanted to go home. Meanwhile the girls and "Gabe" and I had a blast!<br /><br />Thursday night Victoria left for Columbus for her <a href="http://familyof9.blogspot.com/2008/03/mix-971-dsw-shoegasm-haul.html">Shoegasm</a> trip, so the kids and I got <a href="http://www.romeospizza.com/">Romeo's Pizza</a> on our way home. Friday night I <a href="http://http://pizzadeliverystories.blogspot.com/2008/03/friday-nights-all-right.html">delivered pizza</a>, Saturday we had 2 <a href="http://www.gamedaysportscenter.com/">indoor soccer</a> games, and on Sunday I had a <a href="http://www.nscaa.com/">NSCAA soccer coaching class</a> while everybody else went to church.KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-27155779918661431652008-02-22T13:20:00.003-05:002008-02-22T13:31:55.560-05:00Academic ChallengeI went to Levi's 2nd academic challenge match yesterday. This one was especially fun because it was against his cousin's team (my niece). Both kids did well. Levi answered 12 right and his cousin got 4 right, including the current events question "On February 3rd, who won the Super Bowl?"<br /><br />Levi's school won 61-41. They have won both of their matches now. His adviser asked me to volunteer at the next one in March.<br /><br />My mom was there also and then I spent the afternoon with her, we visited 2 sets of elderly aunts & uncles, both uncles are in poor health. One is recovering from a stroke, while the other is fading due to old age (mid 90's).<br /><br />I then picked up the kids from school, dropped my mom back at her house, and came home for the evening. Dinner, homework, video games & tv, bedtime snacks & stories, it was about as "normal" as it gets for us.KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-84327546567878931552008-02-16T09:40:00.005-05:002008-02-16T09:44:34.990-05:00Log Cabin Craft<a href="http://www.michaels.com/online/departments/kids/images/logcabin.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 100px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.michaels.com/online/departments/kids/images/logcabin.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>"Bess" and I are getting ready to go to Michael's Crafts for the kids club craft. We just checked online and <a href="http://www.michaels.com/art/online/static?page=kids_events">today's craft</a> is a log cabin.<br /><br />I've written about this before, but this is one of the best bargains around and my kids love it!</div>KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-86725191888808477682007-12-11T13:20:00.000-05:002008-01-29T13:29:57.696-05:00Happy Birthday RaeI've neglected posting here for a couple months but I'm going to try to catch up. Some posts may be posted well after their post date.<br /><br />Rae's birthday was in December. It was the night of her school Christmas program and also it was a night I was supposed to have parenting time with them. Since we wouldn't get home until right before bedtime, we worked out a compromise so that I would take them for a snack and then they would go back home and go to bed at their mother's.<br /><br />I had a gift for Rae, a <a href="http://www.hasbro.com/furreal/">Furreal Friend</a>. It's a battery operated stuffed dog that reacts in different ways when you play with him. Except that it didn't come with a battery.<br /><br />After going to Burger King for a snack and to open her gift, we had to stop at the local Walgreen's, buy some batteries, and beg to use a screwdriver. I wanted to make sure her new toy was working before she went back to her mom's.KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-29720652177972572892007-12-03T01:19:00.000-05:002007-12-03T01:28:36.740-05:00Our Good Deed For The DayAfter church I planned to drive my kids back out to their mom's. Stepdaughter "Hazel" was having some friends over for tea.<br /><br />Well when we got to church we saw it was "food delivery" Sunday. Every year around the holidays our church collects food for the poor. They then box it up and people from the church volunteer to deliver it. Each box is clearly marked who it is for, how many adults and how many kids, and comes with a <a href="http://www.mapquest.com">Mapquest</a> map.<br /><br />Since I had built in some extra time before I had to have the kids back to their mom's, I volunteered us to take 3 of the boxes of food. There were over 80 boxes in all, as we attend a pretty large church.<br /><br />First grader "Rae" has been known to be embarrassingly blunt so we had a little discussion on the way about what kind of remarks or questions not to ask people in front of them so as not to hurt their feelings.<br /><br />After the first delivery the kids remarked "they didn't look poor" but at the 2nd delivery there was a toddler running around in just a diaper and a horribly dirty fish tank. And the woman at the 3rd delivery said that she was now "living in her landlady's basement."<br /><br />The kids enjoyed helping carry the food. Besides the big box, there was a bag of apples for each family and also a bag with some frozen meat (chicken and beef) for each family. Hopefully it will be a lesson in helping others and also in being thankful for what we have.KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-7113092450855104192007-11-12T11:25:00.000-05:002007-11-12T11:34:39.705-05:00Working With DadThe local drama club always comes to the pizzeria where I work every year after putting on their play. Usually we are unprepared and the order-takers and cooks are overwhelmed. Since I have a <a href="http://familyof9.blogspot.com/2007/11/ask-any-girl.html">stepdaughter in the play</a> this year, I was aware of the schedule and volunteered to show up and help out for an hour or so.<br /><br />Since this was a night that I had my kids, and since they had helped buss the tables after a soccer team party a few weeks ago, I let them come along and help.<br /><br />"Levi" helped set up chairs for the large group. "Bess" and "Rae" helped serve drinks, refilling soda pitchers and passing out cups, lids, and straws. All 3 kids helped fold pizza boxes while the drama kids were eating. The girls also helped driver (and part-time waitress) Kristie to take down the salad bar.<br /><br />And they all 3 helped buss the tables after the drama group left, dumping pop into our "big red bucket", paper and food waste in the trash, and dishes to be washed into the dish tubs.<br /><br />Kristie made over $50 in tips on the group, and she was nice enough to share $2 each with my 3 kids.<br /><br />I've found that when kids know what they are doing and have tasks they are capable of accomplishing, they actually like to pitch in and work. This is especially true when they see others around them working also.KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-32892325776047727422007-11-09T09:22:00.000-05:002007-11-09T09:35:26.458-05:00Partent-Teacher School ConferencesI think it's important to be involved in my kids education. Besides reviewing their work on the nights that they are with me, another thing I always do is to attend their school conferences.<br /><br />Conferences were scheduled for last night for first grader "Rae" and fourth grader "Bess". Both girls are doing great in school and this was more of a way for me to meet their teachers and help them to understand more about the girls than a time to express any concerns.<br /><br />Rae is reading very well, much better than last year, and her teacher says that her ability in math is outstanding. She does have to work on staying on task and not daydreaming.<br /><br />Bess is also doing great. She is concerned that her time away from class for her ABLE or advanced classes is causing her to fall behind in social studies and science. Her teacher believes she is doing fine in these subjects but agreed to give her a little extra attention in these subjects when she returns from her advanced classes.<br /><br />"Levi" didn't have conferences as he is at a different school. He did try out for a travelling basketball team on Monday and Tuesday and he was not selected, so he was a little bothered by that.<br /><br />Because of the tryouts, I didn't get the kids on my usual Tuesday night. Because of the conferences, if I would have brought them to our house last night we wouldn't have gotten home until almost 9 PM, just in time to go to bed and get up early the next day for the ride back to their mom's. So I decided it was in their best interest to just spend some time with be before conferences and then head back to their mom's for the night.<br /><br />I picked them up at 5:30, we had dinner at <a href="https://kids.bobevans.com/menu.asp">Bob Evans</a>, and then I took them back to their mom's before my first conference at 6:45.KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-238335602568502202007-11-03T22:52:00.001-05:002007-11-03T23:00:05.553-05:00Saturday With DadSince my son stayed with his mom an extra night last weekend (for a birthday party), and since I allowed their mom to pick up all 3 a couple hours early last Sunday, I was able to pick them up for a few hours today, even though it wasn't my weekend.<br /><br />I picked them up at 10:30 AM and we had an indoor soccer game at noon. Our first stop was at WalMart, to pick up some Propel water bottles. On the way in, some local Cub Scouts gave us a flier. They were collecting for a food drive and wanted us to pick up an extra item. I let the kids each pick out something to give for the food drive.<br /><br />On to the soccer game, where we lost 11-7. "Levi" played goalkeeper for the first half and then scored 3 goals in the 2nd half. "Bess" also played well.<br /><br />After that we went to lunch at a neighboring franchise from where I work. The kids enjoy eating there, so it was a pretty good lunch.<br /><br />After that, I let them have some of the candy they got last week <a href="http://familyof9.blogspot.com/2007/11/happy-halloween.html">trick-or-treating</a>, before I drove them back to their mother's.<br /><br />It was a nice day.KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-48729680396691488332007-10-23T14:29:00.001-05:002007-10-24T14:59:39.477-05:00Tough ChoicesUnfortunately, my kids are being faced with more and more tough choices lately. And I don't know what to do about it.<br /><br />My night to pick up the kids is Tuesday. A couple weeks ago "Levi" arranged to switch the night to Thursday because we had a soccer game that night. After we had already planned the change, his sisters decided to join Girl Scouts and of course the first meeting was that Thursday night.<br /><br />So the girls were forced to choose between spending time with me and our family, including their baby brother "Gabe", or attending their activity. They chose Girl Scouts, which is fine.<br /><br />Now this weekend Levi is invited to a birthday party. I can't drive him all the way back to the party and then pick him up and drive him all the way back. I offered to him that if he wanted to attend, his mom would have to transport him or else he could just stay with his mom the entire weekend. He chose to stay so that he could attend the party.<br /><br />He will miss an indoor soccer game, and a 1-mile fun run that he has run the past 2 years.<br /><br />Also coming up in the next few weeks are a Saturday morning art class the girls asked about, and tryouts (and eventually practices and games) for a travelling basketball team that Luke would like to join.<br /><br />When we first divorced, their mother lived 10 minutes away in the adjoining school district, and it was no big deal to take them back and forth to activities in either area. But since she moved a little over a year ago, transportation has become a significant issue. It's a 1 1/2 hour round trip. With our busy schedules and the price of gas, I just can't be driving back and forth every day. Twice a week (Tuesday & Friday nights) is enough!<br /><br />As the kids become involved in more and more activities, there will be more and more times when they have to choose. And I'm sure as they get older they will more often choose their friends over their family. And it breaks my heart.<br /><br />But it is my intention to encourage them to be involved in the activities that they enjoy, as much as possible, and not to make them feel pressured or pulled in one direction.KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-24760369960633145312007-09-25T08:19:00.000-05:002007-09-25T08:22:31.962-05:00Competition"Levi" called me at 4PM on Friday, all in a panic because one of his molars was loose. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to lose them or not. I told him if it was loose, it was probably because he needed to lose it.<br /><br />Anyhow by 5:30 when I picked them up, "Bess" had a loose molar too. She sat in the back seat and worked it and before we had completed the 45 minute drive from their mom's to my house, she had pulled it out.<br /><br />Levi then went to work and got his out in the car also, but Bess was first (even though she's a year younger).KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-80747145371605663322007-09-17T12:10:00.000-05:002007-09-17T12:40:45.328-05:00Concert With DadThe highlight of this weekend was taking my 10 year old son "Levi" and stepson "Nolan" to their first rock concert. We went to see Sum 41, a concert <a href="http://www.clevescene.com/2007-09-12/music/sum-41/">previewed here</a> in Scene Magazine.<br /><br />We left home around 5 and rode the RTA downtown and then had dinner at the Tower City Food Court where Levi had his favorite, teriyaki chicken. Nolan had a ham and cheese from Arby's.<br /><br />We then walked 4 blocks to the <a href="http://www.hob.com/venues/clubvenues/cleveland/">House Of Blues</a>. We made a quick walk through and ended up in the balcony where they have just 6 rows of seats. We got the last set of 3 together, about 4 rows back in the right corner. They were very good seats, as long as the fat chick 2 rows up wasn't standing up taking pictures.<br /><br />The opening act was <a href="http://www.montyarei.com/home.php">Monty Are I</a>. They were pretty loud and, since I wasn't familiar with any of their songs, it was difficult to hear the lyrics. Plus there was 4 bands worth of equipment on an already crowded stage. They were a high energy group and definitely had fun, and got the crowd started during their 30-minute set.<br /><br />Next on the card was <a href="http://truthinsincerity.amberpacific.com/index">Amber Pacific</a>. Their 30 minutes of music played a little clearer. They also announced that their new album, Truth In Sincerity, would be on sale for just $5! We picked this up on the way out, and we've just started to listen to it a few times. Two girls behind us from Detroit, Michigan came back from the break with Amber Pacific shirts.<br /><br />I got the boys each a Red Bull in between Amber Pacific and the next band . . .<br /><br /><a href="http://www.yellowcardrock.com/">Yellowcard</a> came out last before the headliner and played for about 50 minutes. They played a song called Keeper and I joked to Levi that they definitely must have played soccer growing up. With the gear gone from the first 2 bands, the guys from Yellowcard actually had room to move around on stage. Alot of people were definitely into the band and were singing along to the songs.<br /><br />Finally it was time for the band we came to see, <a href="http://www6.islandrecords.com/site/artist_home.php?artist_id=259">Sum 41</a>. They played for almost an hour and a half, doing their most popular older songs, and about half the songs from the new Underclass Hero disk.<br /><br />Lead singer Deryck Whibley entertained in between songs, introducing bass player Cone, drummer Steve-O 32, and new touring guitarist BrownTom, who replaced original band member Dave Brownsound.<br /><br />Deryck took a few pages from Green Day's Billie Jo, picking 3 fans from the pit to sit side-stage during the show, and then later challenging a random crowd member to play a better guitar solo than him.<br /><br />After a 75 minute set, they came out for a 2-song encore, playing crowd favorite "Fat Lip" and then ended the show with Deryck on the drums and Steve-O singing "Pain For Pleasure."<br /><br />The boys and I had a great time, and of course, they wore their t-shirts the next day.KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-66846447982051185522007-09-12T14:40:00.000-05:002007-09-12T14:57:58.199-05:00Weeknight With DadI had my kids overnight on Tuesday. This was our first weeknight since school started 2 weeks ago. School started on a Tuesday and then the next week was Labor Day. Since both of those weeks were 4-day weeks, I agreed to have the kids on Sunday night (not a school night) as my overnight.<br /><br />So I left work at 4 PM for the 1 1/2 hour commute to my kids' mom's home. I got there right at 5:30, and my cell phone rang. Their mom was calling to say she was just leaving work to get the kids. It's a long confusing story but apparently they were supposed to be home with a sitter but the storm door was locked so they couldn't get in. They finally arrived about 5:45.<br /><br />I quickly got the kids and their backpacks into the car and we were on our way. We had soccer practice at 6:30 and we were a little late. Also, on our way, their mom called to tell me that Rae had left her blue folder in the backseat of her mom's car, it wasn't in her backpack.<br /><br />So then after soccer, we went home and I heated them up some dinner while Levi & Bess did their homework and all of them got showers. We had macaroni & cheese, hot dogs, chicken tenders, & garlic toast. And some delicious chocolate pie for dessert. Rae told me she didn't have any homework and her mother had her folder so I didn't check her backpack. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mistake!</span><br /><br />It was nearing 10 PM when I got them all tucked into bed.<br /><br />I got up at 6AM and got myself around and dressed. I got the girls up at 6:30 and Levi at 6:45. Their mother had said for them to be ready at 7:15 AM. They all got up, got dressed, and had breakfast. Rae then went to put her lunch in her backpack and showed me her red folder, which had some math homework in it. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Oops!</span><br /><br />The homework involved cutting and pasting numbers so of course we didn't have time to get it done. Their mom arrived around 7:30 to pick them up. I explained the situation but she must not have understood because she left and then came back to tell me that she would be sure to tell the teacher it was my fault that Rae didn't finish her homework.<br /><br />I had already planned to email the teacher to explain the confusion and to let her know that I would make sure to check Rae's backpack in the future, regardless of what Rae or her mother told me.<br /><br />Baby brother Gabe did wake up just before they left, and they were all 3 happy to see him, as they hadn't seen him in over a week.KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-84722173348220683722007-09-10T13:08:00.000-05:002007-09-10T13:19:57.182-05:00Weekend Without Dad (Oops!)Our new shared parenting plan calls for me to have the kids on the weekends corresponding to the <span style="font-weight: bold;">2nd, 3rd, and 4th</span> Friday of each month. I misread or misremembered and for whatever reason, thought I would have the kids on the <span style="font-weight: bold;">1st, 2nd, and 3rd</span> weekends.<br /><br />Since they weren't expecting me, nobody was home at their mom's when I got there. After a couple tries, I got her on her cell phone and she (correctly) let me know it was her weekend. I disputed her at the time.<br /><br />I did get to talk to each kid on the phone, wish them a good weekend, and let them know I love them. Then I made a <a href="http://www6.islandrecords.com/site/artist_av.php?artist_id=259&av_product_id=2472&buy_album=1">small purchase</a> (to prove I was in town that night). I drove home and re-checked the paperwork to discover that I was wrong.<br /><br />Saturday after our <a href="http://coachkevinl.blogspot.com/2007/09/week-2-games.html">soccer games</a>, I called and left a message, saying that their mom was right and I was wrong, and letting the kids know how their soccer games had gone. Sunday night I called again after <a href="http://coachkevinl.blogspot.com/2007/09/sunday-soccer.html">another game</a> and talked to the kids.<br /><br />It's kind of a bummer. "Levi" had never missed a soccer game in the 9 seasons he has been playing. Also, it was picture day for the soccer teams and we had planned to let each kid pick out something special, like a t-shirt or bobble-head, since this may be their final season of playing soccer in my community.<br /><br />I'll see them on Tuesday. It's been a long time (over a week). I miss them.KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-77089122516586507762007-08-29T10:48:00.000-05:002007-08-29T10:51:27.692-05:00Weekends Again, Even MoresoWell I have been neglecting this blog on purpose. We were back in court over the custody issue and I didn't want to post anything here that might be somehow used against me.<br /><br />But that is settled now. My parenting time has been changed from 2 school nights plus every other weekend. My new time is 1 school night plus 3 weekends each month. Also we will alternate weeks during the summer.<br /><br />Summer has been busy but school is starting up again so hopefully my posts here will become more regular.KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-45979378641793304272007-03-26T23:03:00.000-05:002007-04-18T11:50:26.332-05:00Levi Finishes 2nd In County Spelling Bee Due To ManureMy son Levi represented his school today in the county spelling bee. He did a great job, finishing in 2nd place overall out of 26 4th graders. Levi correctly spelled well over a dozen words, including "examples", "probably", and "graffiti" before misspelling "manure." He spelled it "manuer."<br /><br />This is humorous as Levi comes from a dairy farming heritage, his grandfather worked a large dairy farm which 2 of his uncles still run.<br /><br />Levi also comes from a great spelling heritage, with several uncles, aunts, and his father having participated in this same county spelling bee. One of the first, uncle Dick, missed the word "license." Levi's grandmother has made it her duty to make sure that whenever another of her kids or grandkids enter a spell-down, they know how to spell "license" if nothing else.<br /><br />Likewise I made sure he would not miss the first word I ever missed in the county spelling bee, "buried." I clearly remember several other students missing it by starting with "ba" or "be" or even using a "y", but I misspelled it with 2 r's, "burried."<br /><br />Levi's accomplishment today was much better than my best showing, I don't recall ever even making the top 10.<br /><br />Many of the most challenging words today were compound words where the kids had to decide if it was a single word, 2 words, or a hyphenated word: "slam-dunked", "air conditioning", "flagpole", "eyesore", and "old-fashioned" were among the tricky words. The hardest word I heard was "Peace Corps" but Levi said he would have gotten that one correct.<br /><br />Great job Levi!KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-17878705994676415632007-03-26T14:43:00.000-05:002007-03-26T14:47:55.247-05:00Family LifeWe got included in this weeks <a href="http://www.more4kids.info/383/carnival-of-family-life-47/">Family Life Carnival</a> over at <a href="http://www.more4kids.info/">More4Kids</a>. There are some great posts over there, be sure to read a few.<br /><br />Interestingly, we went to Michael's Crafts again this weekend and it was a free day sponsored by <a href="http://www.crayola.com/">Crayola</a>!KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-14192000246856783702007-03-20T15:10:00.000-05:002007-03-20T15:12:41.940-05:00Carnival Of FrugalityFor some money-saving tips, check out the latest edition of the <a href="http://sharonhr.blogspot.com/2007/03/festival-of-frugality-carnival-of-money.html">Carnival Of Frugality</a>.<br /><br />Especially don't miss the Entertainment & Hobbies section.KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-141008455038688012007-03-17T22:07:00.000-05:002007-04-18T11:48:46.921-05:00She's CraftyWe did something today that is one of my favorite things to do with my kids. We went to <a href="http://www.michaels.com/art/online/static?page=kids_events">Kids Club</a> at <a href="http://www.michaels.com/art/online/home">Michael's Crafts</a>.<br /><br />Our Michael's has this every Saturday and for just $2 each, the kids get to make a fun craft project. Since today was St. Patrick's Day, the craft was to make a green shamrock pin.<br /><br />They bent a green pipe-cleaner into a J for the stem and glued it to the back of a small wooden heart. Then 3 more wooden hearts were put together to shape a clover and glued to the base heart.<br /><br />They then got to paint their clovers and coat them with glitter. Finally they glued a small pin to the back.<br /><br />I really think this is a great program. It doesn't cost much, some weeks are even free! They do a variety of projects, and there is no mess at home to clean up. My kids and I have been doing this for at least 4 years, and they really enjoy it, especially Bess.<br /><br />It's difficult now since we are involved with <a href="http://coachkevinl.blogspot.com/">soccer and basketball</a> and have games almost every Saturday, but whenever we can we try to fit craft day into our schedule. Now that I am <a href="http://familyof9.blogspot.com/">remarried</a>, I often have as many as 5 kids with me from ages 6-9, and they usually all enjoy the craft project.KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-10253259884927785522007-03-14T10:27:00.000-05:002007-03-14T10:28:37.383-05:00Pizza Blog Hosts ContestMy other blog, Pizza Delivery Stories, is hosting a <a href="http://pizzadeliverystories.blogspot.com/2007/03/espn-tournament-challenge.html">free basketball contest</a> for the ESPN Tournament Challenge. Check it out!KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-39232842279296475752007-03-12T00:32:00.000-05:002007-04-18T11:47:55.676-05:00Rec OlympicsI took the kids back to their Mom's community today so that they could participate in the "Rec Olympics."<br /><br />Stepson Nolan came along and participated also.<br /><br />The kids all did really great! Rae was in with a big group of boys and girls age 6 and they only had 3 events: Obstacle Course, Long Jump, and 60 meter run. Rae had fun and earned a participation ribbon.<br /><br />Levi and Nolan were in a group of about 15 boys ages 9-10. They are both 9. There was a kid named Seth that won 4 of their 5 events. The only person to beat him at all was Nolan who took 1st in the swimming event. Levi placed 3rd in swimming and 2nd in the Long Jump. Nolan also finished 3rd in the obstacle course. I don't think any other boy in their group earned more than 1 ribbon.<br /><br />They also participated in the 60 meter run and a basketball shooting competition, but the rims were lowered to 8 feet and both boys are used to shooting at regulation 10 foot rims so the lower height messed them up.<br /><br />Bess was really the star of the day, finishing 1st in 3 events among girls 7-8. Bess won the swimming race, the obstacle course, and she must have beaten all the other girls by about 2 feet in the long jump.<br /><br />It was a nice day, inexpensive (only $7 per kid and they got a t-shirt). It cost even less for me as their mother signed them up! The kids got some exercise and we all had fun!KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-21045409815637605522007-03-09T09:05:00.001-05:002007-03-09T09:05:43.998-05:00Vote For Me!Local Girl at <a href="http://islandlife808.com/">An Island Life</a> is having a <a href="http://islandlife808.com/contestsawards/sticky-a-photo-contest-voting-is-now-open/#comments">photo contest</a>. Please check it out and vote for me, <a href="http://weekendswithdad.blogspot.com/2007/03/inspiration-photo-contest.html">WeekendsWithDad</a>, if you are so inclined.<br /><br />Thanks!KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-87636579667243159662007-03-07T23:00:00.000-05:002007-03-07T23:11:33.689-05:00Not Just WeekendsFirst off, thanks to <a href="http://thehypeguy.com/">TheHype</a> for including us in this week's <a href="http://thehypeguy.com/2007/03/07/carnival-of-the-nba-42-the-late-nite-infomercial-edition/">Carnival Of The NBA</a>!<br /><br />The title of this blog is somewhat misleading. I do spend most weekends with my 3 kids but I also have them during the week. Our shared parenting plan calls for me to have the kids every other weekend plus 2 midweek (school night) overnights during the week.<br /><br />Our schedule right now, set in part by my ex-wife's work schedule, is for me to have the kids one week on Tuesday night, and Friday night to Monday morning (4 overnights). The next week the kids are with me from Thursday night until Saturday afternoon.<br /><br />The good thing about this schedule is that the kids are with me most of the day on every Saturday, when they are off school and I am off work. This allows me to <a href="http://coachkevinl.blogspot.com/">coach</a> their sports teams, namely soccer and basketball.<br /><br />I do have a part time job as a <a href="http://pizzadeliverystories.blogspot.com">pizza delivery driver</a>, and one negative to this current schedule is that I always have the kids on Friday night. This is the busiest (and most profitable) night to deliver pizza, but I try to work most of my shifts while they are with their mom.<br /><br />This is a Thursday - Saturday week so I am looking forward to seeing my kids tomorrow night!KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-12226834667795475302007-03-06T21:45:00.000-05:002008-12-09T11:49:49.779-05:00Inspiration (Photo Contest)<a href="http://islandlife808.com/">An Island Life</a> is having a photo contest entitled "What Inspires You?" This is my entry.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8-xihnIgF1o/Re4nlb7bGdI/AAAAAAAAACY/kUxdtsJYESI/s1600-h/P7220046.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8-xihnIgF1o/Re4nlb7bGdI/AAAAAAAAACY/kUxdtsJYESI/s400/P7220046.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5039008557179804114" border="0" /></a><br />This picture of my daughter Rae was taken by me in July 2002 at the Columbus Zoo. You can see the wonder, amazement, and joy on Rae's face as she reaches out towards the penguin. My kids inspire me to work (to support them), to spend time with them, to coach them, and basically to do all that I can to help them learn and grow. Seeing a look like this on their faces makes it all worth it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://islandlife808.com/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8-xihnIgF1o/Re5Gsr7bGfI/AAAAAAAAACo/xIWdz_-uJ2g/s320/photocontestbanner2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5039042766594316786" border="0" /></a>KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3861206505651594177.post-44029992800173418842007-03-06T11:09:00.000-05:002007-03-06T11:12:10.500-05:00Two In A RowWe got included in another carnival. This one is the <a href="http://www.delawareohrealestate.com/2007/03/05/carnival-of-ohio-bloggers-march-5-edition/">Carnival Of Ohio Bloggers</a> hosted by <a href="http://www.delawareohrealestate.com/">Sadie's Take on Delaware Ohio</a>. Thanks!KevinLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361551053869033915noreply@blogger.com0