Camping out

Several weeks ago we toyed with the idea of taking the kids on a camping trip to Red River Gorge during isolation.  The thought was that the campgrounds would probably be fairly empty.  The prediction of bad whether caused us to reconsider, which was well.  In the meantime the governor of Kentucky issued orders closing the trails, and a friend of ours had to cut his camping trip short.

Last weekend we did a little bit of backyard camping.

My Intrepid Boy Scout

Daddy is in charge of the fire

Steve tutored the kids in good tent etiquette, as well as how to build and maintain a pretty little cooking fire.

We roasted hot dogs and then had s'mores

We got to relax with nothing we had to do

My favorite place to be

Steve set up the tent with the kids, while I finished working.  He and I planned to sleep in our own bed.  I suggested that we could just send the kids outside while we had date night, but we ended up staying out with them for the evening.  We had dinner over the fire.  I read the kids a chapter from "The Silver Chair."  When it was dark out, Steve pulled out the telescope and we looked at Venus and the moon.

Between story time and telescope time, Paul and Julia took Petra and Nathan on a snipe hunt in our back acre.  I went along to make sure things didn't get out of hand.  Paul broke off, purportedly to scope out a different part of the trail.  Meanwhile, Julia went on at length about how a snipe was a black, flightless bird with a long beak.  As we came to a bend in the trail, Julia said, "Where can Paul be?  We should have caught up with him by now?"

Nathan grabbed my hand as we entered a darker part of the trail.

"There's his sweatshirt in the middle of trail.  Oh NO!  What's happened??"

Just then a black, flightless bird trotted out onto the trail.

Petra and Nathan were surprised, but the suspense hadn't scared them too much.  I think they appreciated the practical joke.  Paul got his sweatshirt back, saying, "You wouldn't believe how hard it is to hide in these bushes."  Then he put the black chicken back in the barn.

The kids didn't sleep well, and by 3:45 am they were all back in their own beds.  We were all a little bit out of sorts the next day, but I think it was not too high a price to pay for a memorable evening.

Thursday in isolation

It was a pretty average day of COVID19 isolation for us.  

I worked for just over an hour in the morning, then at 8, got the kids started on getting dressed and having breakfast.  My goal is to be starting school work about 9am, after the kids have walked the dog and fed the cats.

School work went a little quicker than usual and we were done in the early afternoon today.  I had a teleconference meeting at 10am and another at 3pm today.

Nathan cutting up for a selfie with me, while we work on an online leveled reader for him.

Thursdays are math and science for Paul and Julia, math for Petra, and Nathan had a bunch of little tasks on various subjects.  We just got our educational hotspot from the school so that the competition for our scrappy little internet bandwidth is a little bit relaxed.  It's a little frustrating, because the educational hotspot has blocked certain websites, like YouTube.  But the kids' teachers sometimes use YouTube for content, which is where we have the most struggle for bandwidth.

The kids miss their friends and "normalcy," but this daily routine is beginning to feel more normal (I think.)  Petra has started doing the online Google Meets with her teacher each afternoon, even though she mostly understands the math material.  She likes seeing her friends and showing off her pet rabbit to them.

Today the boys had peanut butter and jelly for lunch, and the girls had baked potatoes with cheese. Each day we have a little outdoor recess after lunch, preferably outside, unless the weather is awful.  Monday the cold, cold wind persuaded me to let the kids play sports video games instead.  Recess today included a running, tackling, wrestling game until I was afraid that one of us was going to get broken.

Petra, tackling me, while Nathan sweeps in to steal my hat

Julia enjoying being outdoors in the sun

Julia realizing that I am taking her picture

The kids were done with their school work early today, which allowed me to get back to work earlier in the afternoon.  Otherwise, I'm struggling to get my 6 hours of work in before 6 in the evening.  Today they walked their Easter baskets back to grandma's house and stayed to watch a movie.

Steve came home and made dinner.   I've discovered that he's a lot more comfortable with making meals if I plan things that don't require the cook to make up the recipe as they go along.  

After dinner tonight we had game time rather than TV time.  Steve has been playing Dungeons and Dragons with the kids.  It has led to Steve talking in a sort-of Scottish accent as a dwarf cleric and interesting discussions like this - 

Paul: Vive le Revolution!

Mom: Wait, you're a bunch of wondering adventurers.  What's your motivation for starting a revolution?

Julia: It was on Paul's bucket list.

The family had time for DnD after dinner

Happy Easter!

We are greatly blessed and deeply thankful to our Lord and Savior.

Sunday afternoon at home

We took a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Here is Petra, age 10, leading a Dungeons & Dragons Campaign

Meanwhile, Julia was chilling on the couch with her phone.

Selfie with Julia

Later in the evening we all watched Rogue 1.  This after watching Solo the day before, and Star Wars Episodes 1, 2 and 3 last weekend.  Can you guess what is on the docket for next weekend?

Family Gig

The band Steve is in had a gig at a community event last Friday.  He played early enough in the evening, that I brought the whole family out for the first set.  I got some pictures of the kids playing with giant Jenga sets.  If you zoom in, you can see Steve on his bass in the background.

In sun and rain

When I got home from work on Friday, it was 50s and sunny, and my children were all inside playing on computers or hand held devices.  Before even saying, "hello," I told them that they could either go outside and play or do some chores.

They all ran outside.

Julia climbed on this and that, and asked about getting a ladder out so she could climb on the roof of the garage.  They took turns on the swings.  Nathan and Petra explored our spring runoff.

Paul decided that he would like to earn some money.  He and Steve had made an agreement that if Paul shoveled out a clearer main channel into the meandering marsh that our spring runoff has become, that Steve would pay him a certain dollar amount per wagon load of dirt he moved.  About halfway through the first wagon load, he and Steve negotiated a slightly higher dollar rate. 

They all got some badly needed outside time.

Saterday it rained, so Paul did not continue working on the creek.  Instead we agreed that it would be worth $10 to us for Paul to shovel out the section of the chicken coop that we use for young chickens.  He did it, and Steve and I were pleasantly surprised by how efficiently he worked without us even checking in on him a dozen times.  He's getting so big and mature, at least in spurts.

Steve also took Paul shopping for muck boots to help with further work on the creek.  (The boots are enormous.)  While Steve was talking over taking Paul shopping for boots and hitting Home Depot, Julia gave him a hard time.
"Wait a minute!  You're going shoe shopping?  In a store?"  (Steve dislikes shoe shopping and especially dislikes doing it in a brick and mortar store.)
"For muck boots."
"But it's SHOE shopping."
"For muck boots."
"Those are still basically shoes. From a store."
"But they have the word MUCK in the name.  I also want to swing by Home Depot to get the right socket piece to fix the light fixture in the dining room."
To which Julia said, "See I told you to get the porcelain one!  NUMBER 7!"
I looked at Steve quizzically.  He explained, "She thought I should get the porcelain the last time we were there, because she knows that porcelain is #7 on Moh's hardness scale.  Julia, you are fount of random knowledge."

While my older guys were out shopping, Petra played with Nathan and read to him.

Julia helped me make a "Caramel Apple Casserole" for breakfast for Sunday.  She helped core and chop the apples. It was good knife practice for her and it was good for me to take a breath and remember being that slow at cutting apples.

Julia chopping apples

Steve fixing the light - it only took 3 trips to the hardware store

More self defense stuff

Steve has been taking Kyuk Ki Do classes at our tae kwon do school.  It is another style of martial art, and I refer to it as "the vicious one."  It draws techniques from tae kwon do and judo and also focuses on locks (like elbow), jabs (like throat), and pressure points.  While tae kwon do and judo can be competed in as sports, kyuk ki do is pretty strictly self defense.

Steve tested for his green belt Friday night, and the kids and I surprised him by coming to watch.  I think he did well.  He got his new belt.

He said that he and one of his friends both kind of choked during of the drills.  Master Chung's evaluation included, "You two need to focus."

That's all well and good until you are trying to remember what you are supposed to do with your seventy-something, Korean instructor 3 feet away from you, and you can barely remember your own name.  Master Chung is a little intimidating.

Civil Engineering on a Snow Day

Yesterday was MLK day and the kids and I had off.  The alarm rang in the morning for Steve, but when I looked out the window, I couldn't see the road.  "I vote we go back to bed until we hear a snow plow go by."

"Deal."

In the afternoon, I conscripted some forced labor from Paul and Julia to shovel the driveway.  Then they took some time to build a small snow fort.  Petra went out to join them.

Meanwhile, Nathan had a bit of a cough and runny nose, so I didn't encourage him to go outside.  He found his own building materials.

I sent Steve the message:  It's snowing faster than I can shovel.  I got the Jetta back in the garage, and I didn't break anything.  I can't say anything else good about that parking job.

Overheard today

Today we had snow day #3.  The kids are having a little trouble controlling themselves.  There were a few moments of levity, though.  Here are a few things I heard - 

Petra: Mommy what kind of mythical animal do you want to be?

Mom: How about a unicorn?

Petra:  You can be a zebra unicorn.

Mom: Okay, that sounds good.

Petra: You can be a zebra unicorn, and I'll be a zebra unicorn with wings.  A pegasus zebra unicorn.  And nobody can kill us because our hearts are in our horns, and it would burn their hands to grab our horns.  How old do you want to be?  We're both kid unicorns.

Mom: How about 9?

Petra: Okay, you can be 9, and I'll be 8, but I'm only one week younger than you.  We'll live up in a protected meadow in my room.  It's magic so we're safe there.  The wood floor is water with piranhas in it.  But don't worry, they're not aggressive piranhas unless somebody goes after one of their family members. Mom, you're standing in the water.

Mom: Is it okay if I can swim?

Petra: Unicorns can only swim about a 5 out of 10.  But if this is magic water then you are only a 4 out of 10.  But since you grew up in this meadow, and the magic water is a little diluted, you are probably a 6 out of 10 for swimming.

Mom: So I'm okay?

Petra: Yeah, you're okay.  I'm going to get some berries out of the bush.  Julia's bed is the bush.  Pretend I'm flying up there... 

(She rolled with this for about half an hour.  I think she stopped to breath once.)

-------

Meanwhile, Nathan was setting Steve up to play super heroes.  Nathan picked his 3 super powers, and asked Steve to spell them out for him so he could write them down on a piece of paper.  Then Steve had to pick 3 super powers of his own.  This took a while, because Nathan vetoed most of the things Steve picked.

Steve: How about super laundry folding?

Nathan: No.

Steve: How about shooting ice?

Nathan: No, daddy.  That's insta-kill.

Steve: What about laser eyes?

Nathan: No.  Insta-kill.

Steve: Can I have super spelling?

Nathan: Daddy, that's not a super power.

Steve: You say that now, but wait until you grow up.  Okay, how about super baking power?

Nathan: No, Daddy!  That's insta-kill.

Nathan's powers: strength, super jumping, super speed

Dad's powers: talk to animals, flying, invisible

Petra also likes to play.  Apparently the candy cane ropes materialize from nowhere and can tie up your opponent

------

Later in the evening, Paul was rooting around in the cupboard for something to eat.  "Hey, did you know we have sardines!?"  (This was not said with happy excitement.  It was more like incredulity with a hint of distress.)  "It says, 'sardines in mustard sauce.'  Ew.  Hey Julia, if the sardines don't get you, the mustard will!"

What to do in the cold?

It would have been a perfectly good day to curl up with a book.  The morning started at -6°F.  I think we would have been perfectly justified in curling up by the fireplace with some good reading and hot tea.

We did start off the day with a slew of housekeeping chores.  Sort the laundry, clean the bathrooms, dust some ceiling fans.  But the afternoon was open, and I wanted the kids to get outside.  These children needed wearing out. With a high today of 16°F, I didn't figure we would last outside more than 15 minutes, but anything was better than nothing. 

We went out to sled in the yard before the snow started melting next week.  To my surprise, half an hour passed and nobody was complaining of cold.  And as I watched my children run up and down the tiny slope in our yard and urge their sleds to go further and further, and I saw how big my little children are, I regretted not driving out to a real hill. 

On the spur of the moment, Steve and I bundled them into the car with our sleds and we drove over to the Petra's elementary school.  We picked a slope that was maybe 20 feet top to bottom and steep enough to sled freely without being so steep as to be scary to Nathan or Petra.  We all sledded over and over and over again.

Steve gave everybody (including me) turns riding down on his back while he lay on his belly on a sled.  Nathan sledded in my lap several times and then started going solo.  Paul sledded until most of his face was bright red from the cold.  Julia rode down twice while standing on a "snow scooter."  She kept her balance the whole way down.  The same could not be said of me when I tried it.

The hill ended in a parking lot, and there was a bank of snow clods between the hill and the asphalt.  We slid up to, into, and sometimes over the bank.  Our sledding ended about the time the kids started having a snow clod fight.

I kind of wish I had pictures of Petra spinning on the round snow disk, or Nathan lying down with his scarf trailing behind him. 

But I was too busy having fun.

2016 in Review

Paul finished up 6^th grade and has started Junior High.  His first quarter nearly ate his lunch, but since then he seems to have found a groove for keeping track of his assign-ments.  Mostly.  He has gotten his 2^nd Class rank in Boy Scouts.  Paul and Steve went on a backpacking trip with the scouts in Great Smokey National Park, but the whole troop aborted after the first night because (long standing drought conditions notwithstand-ing) they were hit with constant rain followed by subfreezing temperatures.  It’s been a joy to watch my freckless boy slowly maturing.  He survived a week at summer camp sharing a tent with an older boy he doesn’t get along with, and while we visited Yellowstone this summer, he was Mr. Safety, making sure his siblings stayed on the boardwalks in the geyser basins.

Paul at a Lego art exhibit - imitating art

Julia is cranking through 5^th grade, and I’m embarrassed to admit that I haven’t done anything to help her with her homework this year.  She rocked out a solo part as Tina Turner in her 5^th grade music concert, and she started gymnastics.  The girl likes to throw herself around.  She has also continued weapons class and is specializing in fans.  Sugar and spice and a black belt, that’s what little girls are made of.

Julia has glasses full time now.  She looks so mature in them.

Petra is doing really well in 1^st grade.  Her reading skills are taking off and it’s funny to realize that she is suddenly reading what is on t-shirts that we’ve worn for years. She’s very proud of getting to choose whether to buy or pack her school lunches.  Petra is still taking tae kwon do with Steve and I, and she just earned her red belt.  She still has days when she would rather preen in the mirror than listen to her instructor, but she seems to have an aptitude for sparring.

Petra the irrepressible

 Nathan started a ½ day preschool this year; he gets to ride the bus there in the morning with Petra.  He’s pretty excited about writing his name, and we are working on persuading him to hold his pencil more like a pencil and less like a weapon.  He loves building with Legos and cracking us up with jokes as only a 4 year old can tell.  Some of the scenery on our road trip this summer inspired this joke, “Mommy, how did the windmill cross the road?  Like this!” and he waved his arms in circles.

Nathan the independent, busy, little squirt

I earned my black belt in tae kwon do in August, and a couple of weeks ago Steve earned his 2^nd degree black belt.  We were given the opportunity to help with the Eng-lish camp in the Czech Republic again this year. We couldn’t actually attend the camp because of our long planned big road trip, but it was really nice to help with pulling a team together. 

This summer we packed the kids in the Sub-urban and spent 3 weeks driving to Seattle and back.  We stopped to see friends in Iowa, visited the Ingalls homestead, Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Devil’s Tower, Yellowstone, and stayed with friends in Seattle.  On the way home we celebrated Julia and our friend Tyson’s birthday in Grand Teton National Park.  We saw Craters of the Moon and the Old West Museum in Cheyenne.  In Saint Louis we stayed with friends and went up in the Arch before cruis-ing on home.  I think the kids got to climb on at least 1 playground in every state we visited, and Nathan developed an “allergy” to hiking.  I’m so grateful that we had a chance to share this crazy road trip and see AMERICA, or at least a big chunk of it, with our kids.

Kids excited to cross the Mississippi on the way home after 21 days on the road.

The week in snippets

This week I caught Nathan digging around in my purse.
Mommy: Nathan, what are you doing in my purse?
Nathan: I looking for something yummy to eat.
Mommy: No, that's grandma's purse.

---

Paul came downstairs after getting dressed one morning earlier this year and announced, "Mom, the socks in my drawer are like snowflakes: no two alike."
He's so poetic.

---

Paul had a lu-lu of a day on Thursday, due in large part to forgetting to take his ADHD medicine.  After he came home, the e-mails from his teachers piled in, detailing the day's infractions including:
spinning in the hall
singing to his pen during class
singing in class and blaming his hands, on which he had drawn little faces
talking to the security cameras in the hall when he was supposed to be doing make-up work
having massive problems following directions.

I'm thanking God that he can usually be on medicine for school.

---

This week the girls asked Steve, "If you could be the son of any My Little Pony, which one would it be?"
Steve didn't give them an answer.

---

This morning, the My Little Pony conversation continued.
Julia: Petra, if you could be the child of any non-royal My Little Pony, which one would it be?
Petra: Rainbow Dash!
Julia: No, I want to be Rainbow Dash.
Petra: No, I want to be Rainbow Dash.
Mommy: You could be sisters.
Julia looked at me for a moment and said, "That would never work."

---

Yesterday Julia, Petra, and Nathan got to go to a children's program at a mission's conference.  The little guys were supposed to make bead bracelets with a color code representing the news of the gospel.  One black bead represented death in sin, one red bead represented Jesus' blood, one white bead represented purity in forgiveness, one green bead represented life in Christ, and one yellow bead represented Heaven.  Nathan apparently went on a roll with the beads.  He had 27 black beads, 5 red, 1 white, 3 green and 3 yellow.
"Wow, Nathan.  That's a lot of sin.  It's a good thing it only takes one forgiveness from God to cover it all."
I'm praying for that boy.

---

Speaking of praying for him, Nathan picked up the grill lighter this week and asked me, "This is the campfire remote, right?"
"That's right, Nathan.  Put it down."

---

For some odd reason, Paul decided to dress up in dress pants and a dress jacket this afternoon.  Steve told him that he had to change clothes before we went out for the last event of the Missions Conference.  When Paul balked, Steve asserted that those clothes were not suitable for a chili cookoff.

How can we help you, today?

Steve is one of those guys who really does not want help from the staff at the electronics store or the computer store.  He does not want their advice or opinions.  He does his research online ahead of time and walks into the store knowing the make, model, color, optional features and appropriate price range he wants. Please do not try to help him- you will only slow him down and make him grumpy.  And, no, he is not going to explain to you how he plans to use your merchandise.  Ever.

So to Steve's great delight, when a service representative at the appliance store started to ask how she might be of help, Paul ran up and asked, "Do you sell any claw machines?  You know, where you put the quarters in and then you use the controls to drop the claw and pull out a toy?"  Steve quickly slipped away to the microwave aisle, and I pulled Paul along while the clerk giggled. 

This was the kids' first time in a big box store of electronics.  They were pretty impressed.  So many refrigerators, smart phones, and games.  There was a whole aisle of VIDEO GAMES!  And you could get 18" tall Star Wars action figures there.  It was way cool.

I let the kids ogle the video games for a while, and then we started wandering back to find Steve.  Julia walked by him in an aisle without noticing him.  I think she just didn't recognize him because he was getting help from a store clerk.  The only boxes with the model microwave we wanted were up on a storage shelf and required a ladder.

Christmas break well spent

I needed to go to work a couple of days between Christmas and New Years, which meant Steve was home with the kids.  My first day away, he hung a string across half of the upstairs going over the stairway, and challenged the kids to a lego zipline design challenge.  They all had to build vehicles to ride down the string.  The vehicles had to support a Lego person and a Lego ‘droid. 

Steve and Nathan built a zipline car as a team.  They each got a practice run and then Steve timed three competitive runs each.  Paul had the fastest.  Petra’s was slowest, which was a little sad, but she did a really good job of building a car by herself.

I got to see another zipline race the next day.  Everybody had improved their designs from the day before, mostly by adding bigger wheels (better spinning on the string) and plastic rockets (more weight and cool looking.)   I witnessed a couple of rapid unplanned disassemblies.  It was pretty cool.

Steve got Star Wars Episodes 1 through 6 for Christmas.  We spent a big chunk of time in the week after Christmas watching the movies in preparation of seeing the new movie.  We determined that those movies are still a little too intense for Petra and that she should not come see the new movie in the theater with us.  Nathan on the other hand, loved the various races and battle scenes.  Little scary. 

Butterflies & buzzards

Our sky has been full of monarch butterflies and vultures.

I don't know if we are on a migration path, but we have seen more than our fair share of monarch butterflies in the last week.  Monday evening there were half a dozen fluttering around the old silver maple trees by our house.  It has been delightful.

Less delightful was that last Saturday Steve and his dad started filling in some holes in the concrete floor in the barn.  One hole revealed extensive burrowing behind it, and an extra trip to Home Depot was required to get enough concrete for the job.  Consequently, Steve set up a varmint trap in the barn Sunday night.

Monday morning he found a 'possum in the trap.
Monday evening he disposed of the 'possum.
Tuesday afternoon I told him that the next time he dispensed with a varmint, he had to make sure I knew where he dumped the carcass BEFORE I took the little children & small dog on a walk around the trail in the back acre.

Yuck.

Shortly after doing an about-face on the trail, the little guys and I were by the chicken yard.  Petra & Nathan were hand feeding clover to the chickens.  We looked up and saw 6 to 8 turkey vultures circling low.  They were not exactly right over the dead 'possum, but they were close enough to find it soon.  Tuesday night Steve went looking for our little gray dog, and startled two vultures from their meal.

Thursday I walked around the trail for curiosity.  I found a tail, some mostly clean ribs, and what I took to be jaw bone off to the side.  While vultures do give me the heebie-jeebies, I am grateful to God for the job that they do.

Happy Father's Day

We like daddy because

• he's silly
• he knows how to help us with video game levels
• he makes funny voices when he reads stories to us
• he tucks us in bed and he lets us buy stuff

Daddy, thank you for 

• taking us to the candy store
• taking us to the game barn
• getting baby chick and letting us look at the baby chicks and feed them sometimes
• playing with us a lot
• for letting Paul join scouts and taking care of a bunch of stuff
• taking naps with Nathan

Mommy likes daddy because he

• coaxes the children into trying new adventures
• dares crazy things like taking 4 young children on long car rides to see new places
• teaches as he plays and plays when he teaches
• grocery shops successfully to make my meal plan work out
• doesn't mind the way I look after a week of swimming, hiking, and vacationing with 4 children in a cabin
• doesn't get mad when Paul beats him at a dice game
• stays in the shallow end of the pool or pond sometimes with the little kids while I get a turn in the deeper water
• laughs with and not at me

Family Picture Take 1

This is the picture the family took for a photo directory for church.

Steve had a little talk with Paul.  We will try again.

Heard on the farm

Nathan and I were looking in a storybook at a drawing of a mommy showing her new baby to two older siblings.  The baby was wearing a yellow sleeper and laying in its mother's arms.

"Nathan, what's this?"
"Banana."
"Is it a baby?  Is that a baby, Nathan?"
"Banana peel baby."

----

I brought an angel food cake home from the grocery.
Paul: Look!  A cake!
Petra: Yeah, I accidentally knocked it off the table at the grocery store so we had to buy it.
Paul: Next time knock over the whole pastry shelf.

----

Petra bought her sister's i-pod and inherited some of the games Julia had started on it.  One of those games is called, "Clash of Clans."  I love hearing my little 5 year old girl say in her little sqeaky voice, "Oh, my troops are ready for battle."

---

Steve's knee was sore the other night, and I jokingly asked him if it would keep him from playing bass for church the next day.  He answered, "I don't need my knee to play bass.  I'm sitting.  I could lose the whole leg.  I only need to keep one foot for tapping to the beat."

---

Julia had a rough Monday.  She cracked her lip and skinned a shin before she made it in the door from school.  She scraped her other shin while playing outside before supper. 
Steve: Julia, what happened to your lip?
Julia: I bumped it on the bus.
Steve: The whole bus!
Julia: No, I bumped it on El's head on the bus. 

First Bike Lesson of '15

Things we said

• Stop panicking.  I am holding the seat.  Try to fall over.
• I promise I will hold the seat all the way to the end of the driveway.
• Look at the burn pile!  Go faster. Look at the burn pile!
• If you look at the tree, you will steer toward the tree.
• Don’t look straight down.
• Look far ahead and you will steer more smoothly.
• The faster you go, the better you will balance.
• Keep your feet on the pedals.
• Don’t brake with your shoes [on the ground].
• Uphill is hard work, huh?
• Drive where the gravel is the flattest.
• Good recovery!
• Maybe you should stay on the right side of the driveway when your brother is coming the opposite way.
• Don’t go at your sister.
• Watch out for Nathan!
• Maggie, get out of the way!
• Keep going, you can do it!
• Try to fall in the grass.
• Yes, it’s hard to turn when your knees hit the handle bars.
• Now look at your pedals.  How will they be turned when you get the most power [torque]?  So when you start, you want your pedals to be oriented like that so you get the most power [torque] for your push.
• Why are you slumping side to side like that?  Stop slumping.
• Do you want help launching?
• See if you can start yourself this time.
• If you start at the outside of the turn around, you can turn more easily.
• Don’t give up.
• It’s time to stop feeding the chickens and get back on your bike.
• You can make it, keep pedaling.
• Most of us mere mortals cannot balance on a bike while it is stopped.
• Well, you’re learning how to fall.
• Get out from under the bike, and then pick it up.
• It is not trying to kill you.
• You did it! You did it!  Yee-haw!

a little exercise

We usually go to our tae kwon do class on Monday and Wednesday nights.  Last week it was just going to work better to go on Thursday night.  Thursday nights make me a little nervous, because there are different instructors, and the Thursday night class is called, "Boot Camp."

Steve and Julia went to weapons class for an hour before "Boot Camp."  They scarfed down a little supper first.  This time Petra went with them because she wanted to play with some blocks in a side room while they practiced.  She was supposed to eat her supper in the car, but didn't so much.

Paul and I showed up later with Petra's uniform and joined them for class.

We started with warm ups.

Master A: Pick a number!
Child: 76.
Master A: Okay, everybody do 76 jumping jacks.

After a little warm-up, we were divided into lines and started running back and forth across the mat.  I started sprinting, and then learned that we were working on stamina.   Nuts.  I quickly became the bottleneck in our group.  I did my best.  After some, running, skipping, and jumping, but well before we were supposed to be done, I knelt to the floor to breathe and not pass out.

Julia: Mommy, are you okay?
Julia's friend: Mrs Kuhlman, are you okay?
Me: I'm okay, I just need to breathe.

I think Petra was also slowing down a bit, but she was in line with her brother and he was keeping an eye on her.  The instructor was looking out for her too.  At one point he pointed her out to the class as an example of having fun while exercising, because her running across the mat looks a lot like dancing across the mat.  Another time, she tried to tell him about something before skipping away.  He shook his head and said, "Man, I don't speak Mickey Mouse any more."

Later we did a somewhat slower kicking drill.  I was much better because I could catch my breath, but Petra was all used up by then.  She leaned against me, "Mommy, I feel sick."

"That's because you didn't eat any supper.  You may go sit by the mirrors."  And she did so quietly for the last 15 minutes of class.

I was so proud of my family.  Petra did pretty well for herself.  Steve, Paul, and Julia made it through the whole class without any unscheduled breaks.  We were all drenched by the time we were done, and Paul and Julia felt like summer had come.