July has been slowly drifting by. Today we sweated it out at the farmer's market to buy some honey. It was so hot, ice cream was necessary at 10:30 a.m.


    The rest of the day we stayed home, the kids are always happy playing LEGOs. Today, it was a mash-up of Arctic ones vs. Frozen ones. While they played, I picked veggies from our little garden.

Friday Night Movie Night

Camp Invention

This week, Lem attended Camp Invention. It was a week-long day camp sponsored by the school system. It is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) program, and with an only $20 registration fee, I had immediately signed him up.

On Friday, there was an "open house" so the families could see what the children had been up to all week. It was great, because although Lem had been telling us all about it all week, it was hard to visualize exactly what he had been doing.

So, there were four classes that they attended each day, taught by local teachers. The kids were divided into groups led by high school interns. So, in the first class, the object was to invent a device that will make everyday life easier, build a prototype, and then "pitch" the idea to their parents. So Lem came up with a hoverboard. He said it would help you get around faster, wouldn't pollute the earth, and cost only $500.

Hoverboard prototype

The next class was all about taking apart their Take-Apart Item, which they were required to bring from home. Lem brought in an old stereo. Once they took it apart, they were supposed to design a video game called Mazeworld, using those parts. They each got a cardboard board on which to build their games. They also came up with a player, and a villian.

In the third class, they learned about different inventors, and then in groups, built some of those inventions. They included rockets, defibrillators (a word Lem cannot say, hahaha), tower buildings, and deep sea data collectors.

The last class was called Cartwheels, and that was everyone's favorite. Small groups built gokarts, and then they got to race them through an obstacle course that included water balloons and wet sponges. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the gokarts, as they had had to take them apart, but it clearly was a lot of fun.

Lem loved it. He was talking a mile a minute when we got there yesterday, trying to tell us everything in one breath. And at full volume, as well. He already wants to attend next year. He's realized how much fun summer camps can be.

For more information: Camp Invention

Yesterday, we attended a FRG pool party. A FRG member hosted it at her house, and we had a blast. The kids swam nearly the entire time, until their lips turned blue and their teeth chattered from the cold. Both of them went off the diving board, too, for the first time. Gwyn was the first. She came up to me and said, "I'm going to jump off that thing." And she did, with no fear, as you can see above. She yelled, "Cannonball!" and leaped off. With her floaties on, she popped right back up and was ready to do it again.
And Lem, he did it without much fanfare, but without much hesitation either. And no floaties for him. There was one boy at the party his age, and they played the whole time. Gwyn was the only girl that wasn't an infant, and she gravitated toward the big girls -- the hostess's teenage daughter and her friend who helped keep an eye on all the little ones in the water.
The food was great, and the day ended with snocones for the kids. A great way to kick off the summer.

Lem finished up British Soccer Camp yesterday. It ran all week, from 9 a.m to 12 p.m. The weather on Friday was the complete opposite from what it was on Monday -- Monday we were all in sweatshirts and rain jackets, and Friday, we were slathering on sunscreen and seeking shade under umbrellas.

Lem had a blast. He is already talking about attending next year. He got a great evaluation from his coach, who said he has great skills and great character. He praised him that he never had to tell Lem something twice, and he he always played hard. Lem was named MVP of his team several days. And his team represented Italy in the week's "World Cup." And the best part, Italy won the World Cup.

Lem took on a leadership role in his team, as well. He said, "Everyone seems to think I'm the captain. If I tell them to play a position, they do it." He seemed OK with it, though, and would spend the car ride home each day strategizing how to make his team play better -- who should play goalie, etc. And it sure seemed to work, since they ended up being champions.

Gwyn and I didn't stay to watch all the camp. We ran various errands and met up with friends. But Friday, we stayed. We came prepared to camp out with backpacks full of snacks and entertainment, chairs, and umbrellas for shade. We had a pretty good time hanging out.

And perfect timing -- the Women's World Cup kicks off today. We will be watching and cheering -- Gwyn and I for team USA, Lem for Italy.

It's no secret that Lem talks a lot. Tonight at dinner, he got on a roll and just would. not. shut. up. Gwyn and I were both finished eating, and he was still talking and talking. And it was all non-related facts. Such as, "Did you know that the continents were all connected?" to, "You know that myth that if you eat a watermelon seed it will grow in your stomach? Well, that's not true, because plants need light to grow." And on, and on, and on.

I finally said to him, "Hey Lem, why are you spouting all these random facts?"

And he said, "I don't know. I have to spout them to somebody, or my head will explode."

Well, alright, kid. We can't have that. But what about my head, that's going to explode from the nonstop talking?