Homework Duty Divided

One very nice dividend of James' Dad working closer to home: now we can share homework duty!

It was sweet to hear James read to his Dad from the big purple chair. He did a great job too. Then they did math card drills. I got a set each of addition and subtraction cards from the Dollar Store this summer. I have a feeling, though, that he prefers the cards his aide made for him.

His reading homework.

I used the microwave timer to make sure they hit the allotted minutes of work. I was in the kitchen, filling out forms. Ye gods and little fishes, such a lot of paperwork for parents!

I'll get my turn of reading and addition math flash cards at bedtime. Piece of cake.

Father's Day, Green Style

For his special day, James' dad wanted to visit as a family a place that he loves to explore with the kids when he's giving me a break -- the Solar Living Center in Hopland.

Eager to be eco-friendly, we piled into our new Leaf and took off up the highway. The scenery was beautiful and the weather gorgeous and warm, not sizzling hot like the day before. When we arrived, we were dismayed to see charger stations, but no cords that we could use. Ah well, we decided to explore first and worry later.

While James' dad talked solar shop at the alternative energy counter,  the kids swung on the hanging chairs, chased butterflies, and ate ice cream treats. They loved to play by the water!

After a bit it was time to charge at an outlet that was fairly close. Our best bet was back the way we came, at Coppola's. I teased my husband, "Happy Godfathers' Day!"

It took a while to get the car properly hooked up, so I fed the kids some lunch from our reusable picnic bag. Then we headed into the gift shop, where James wanted to drive the Tucker and climb aboard the model ships from the movie Marie Antoinette. So we took Monkey Man outside, where he gave his dad a tour, asked to go swimming, and finally helped us down gelato at the snack counter.

 

After an hour or so we returned home, happy from a family day trip, in which we burned no fossil fuels at all.

A Boy and His Dad

James has started to really play with other kids. They don't have to be his age; he is a social guy who is really starting to interact with others. The sparkling, slightly naughty boy who knows how to use his cute charm is wanting to be part of the playing scene within a group.

How lucky for us that the Wonder League just started up this Spring, and that James' teacher sent an informational flier home in time for us to sign him up.

It's certainly been wonderful for James. My husband reports that he loves his uniform, can hardly wait for his turn at bat, and runs with total joy. The volunteers who work with the kids are not only helping James learn the game, they are mentors for playing with others, socializing, and role models for the teen years.

It's also a special time together for James and his Dad. They've gone to practices together and are creating a lot of special memories. Like the times James gets to announce the next at-bats, talking over the game together in the car, and his Dad watching him from the stands like any other proud Dad.

Then there's the time that James refused to come over for the team picture. His Dad shook his head as he told me that three teenagers could not catch him as he ran laughing across the huge field. Even when they ran him into the dugout, James evaded them. Kind of makes us feel better about all those times he's evaded us!

So if you clicked on the link above for the Wonder League, James is behind the photographer. Somewhere. Running amok and laughing like crazy, loving every second. His Dad is in the stands, torn between yelling at him to come over and grinning at the spirit his son has.

Here's a photo from when we had him in the car:

After I asked him to say cheese:

Thank you , thank you, thank you, Wonder League! Special times, special memories for all our special people. And Happy Fathers' Day to all the Special Dads out there!