Those Crazy Days of Fall

What a crazy day it was, filled with a lot of activity.  It started out at school with a busy four classes.  Sixth and seventh grade were finishing up projects, and my writing lab class of 5th graders are really getting into their fantasy story writing.  The highlight of the morning, however, was in my 8th grade class.  It was Ramen Noodles day!!  That is always a lot of fun.  Once a trimester I let that group try their hand at one of their favorite snacks.  It coincided well with our microwave vs. stove vs. oven boiling water unit.  There is always one or two students who have never had Ramen Noodles before and lots of debate about the best way to cook them - seasoning in the water while cooking, microwave, boiling water on the stove first, etc.  I love doing this activity with them as it creates a great class bonding experience.  It also teaches some of our students in need how to make an inexpensive meal for them or their siblings.

The afternoon was busy with household duties and preparing for the evening.  Mom was able to pick up Cameron for me and we all met at Cal's tennis match.  It was home against a conference team.  I caught half of the first set before I had to leave for Meg's first middle school soccer game in Goshen.  Doug had a late varsity soccer match over an hour away.

When we met back up after 9:30 at night we hurriedly caught up on the activities of the night.  Cal played very well against his toughest opponent yet.  He lost in two sets, but had the lead in the second for quite awhile.  We were thrilled with his showing.  Mom was able to watch all of it and was impressed with how much he has improved in such a short period of time.  That speaks loudly of his work ethic and dedication.

Meg's soccer team also lost tonight, but looked very good for their first showing.  She stood out as a player that knew how to play.  She can trap, pass (although she prefers not to), talk strategy and encourage her teammates.  As the parents walked out of a 6-0 loss, all everyone could speak of is how great they looked and how wonderful it is for them to have a team!

Doug's team completed the trifecta of losses by playing well despite the outcome of the game.  He too can see a lot of improvement in his team.  Hopefully, there will be a win in there some time this season, but the goal is to build for the future.

So, a crazy day was had by the Heinisch family.  I think it will be one of many this fall.  Hopefully, we can stop to enjoy some of it along the way.