Completed Cottage

On Wednesday a friend and I went out East to work on making the Cottage comfortable and prepared. We worked really hard on it for three days and the result is great. The only real trouble we had came from a few pictures. Pictures of Naomi's mom. For some reason they didn't want to go up on the wall and they certainly didn't want to stay there. Odd...

It is a big comfort to know that all we have to do now is get in the car and enjoy our time there. Speaking of getting in the car, Naomi drove herself to the hospital yesterday morning and spent 24 hours there. The doctors are a bit worried that she might have a condition that could be bad for the babies but doesn't hurt her - something about itchy hands and feet.

Other than that, everything is looking good, so they sent her home. It was nice to spend some time in the delivery room to see what that is all about. They are quite nice - a bit like a hotel. Up on the 10th floor so the view is nice (you can easily see our house if you are on the correct side) and there is a personal bathroom and a fold out chair and even a mini-fridge. It eases the mind a bit to know what to expect.

Week 32

Hot Week

School did not end on the best note for me this year. We had been exploring a couple online curriculum options for next year and by the time we finally chose one, the administration had already ordered books for us. As it stands now, we have less laptop material set up for next year that we did this year. Definitely heading in the wrong direction - I understand it to be a money issue, but as communication is often nonexistent, it is hard to tell.

Thursday was a tennis tournament and I did really well in the first round. It was hot and humid though, and I was sweating a lot. I started to feel a bit feverish and needed to quit early. The rest of the day I felt quite feverish and the pizza we ordered for dinner was one of the best I have ever tasted. Maybe I lost too much salt...

The next days the temperature kept climbing. Naomi wasn't able to sleep much at night, so on Saturday I broke down and bought a brand new air conditioner. It is quite heavy, but I am able to move it around so it can run wherever it is needed. Naomi is uncomfortable enough as it is, but I was happy I could do something to make things a bit more manageable for her.

The expensive air conditioner.

Week 31

Almost There

This was my last week with students, and it went really well. I was in charge of the ones who failed Math and had to make things up. I was better prepared than last year, but still blown away by how well they worked. Four hours a day for four days straight of working in almost complete silence. I never thought it possible. Friday they took the test, and although almost everyone failed it, I let most of them pass because I averaged in their 'work attitude' grade. Strange that even after four days of working on it, they still can't pass the test. Something doesn't add up...

We left early for the cottage on Friday and got more done this weekend than I ever thought possible. We got rid of five or six huge piles of stuff and the lawn chair chest I am making for the patio is almost finished. This coming week should be nice and relaxed in Rotterdam, so hopefully I can make some progress on the maple chest there...

Week 30

No More Lessons!

This week I did a little poster project with the kids about finding connections between Math and Nature. For the most part it turned out well, and I might even be able to hang a few on the wall. There were also report meetings this week and some upset parents to deal with. Glad it is done with!

I have been checking out a game, the Kerbal Space Program, for use in an after school club next year. It involves building spaceships for various missions and is quite a challenge. A lot of design and engineering goes into it, so I think it will be perfect for next year.

This coming week involves students making up some work they did badly on over the course of the school year, so I set up our Math program. I arranged it so that I don't have to be there on Monday, so we get to stay at the Cottage for an extra night. This works out nicely as our friends from Germany are visiting. There isn't much time left with them though, so we better get a few things done before they need to leave!

Week 29