Is It October Already?!

It is difficult to believe that everyone has been back to school for a month. Time continues to fly by! Phoebe is loving fifth grade, not that anyone should be surprised by that. She has also started dance again, and is looking forward to her next book club meeting, taking part in the Stock Market Game again, and preparing for the Spelling Bee.

The return to school has also brought a return of the lunch menus! One week Phoebe took pizzas, and she agreed to sample different veggie toppings like bell peppers and olives--even a peso pizza on one day. Now maybe she will want more than soy cheese on pizza nights! Another week was tortilla chips and layered bean dip--refried beans, salsa, guacamole, and olives. That was also a hit.

This week she selected a Caribbean menu--Bahama Mama's Black Beans and Rice with Trinidad Spinach. I sampled a bit as I was cooking, and it is tasty! Some fruit and a chocolate chunk muffin rounded out her meal.

Before school started, Phoebe finished her summer with a couple of weeks at the Art Center, learning about woodworking, stained glass, and jewelry making. In woodworking, all the kids made a catapult--and it works! Phoebe has promised not to fling Cashew, who is the perfect size for the launch cup. This weekend, Phoebe is invited to a workshop at the Arts Center pairing sighted kids with those who are vision-impaired or blind. It should be a really good experience!

Of course, Phoebe continues reading up a storm. She filled two free book forms for Barnes and Noble in addition to getting her reading reward from the bank. Her book club met in August to discuss The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, and they will be meeting again in a couple of weeks to talk about The Water Horse--we picked something easy to coincide with back to school and other activities! After the August meeting, Phoebe's BFF Mercedes came over so the girls could watch the film version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which they had both read over the summer.

Right now, Phoebe and I are reading The Son of Neptune, the second in Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series. She recently finished Walk Two Moons for a school assignment. As usual, each trip to the bookstore adds a whole new bunch of books to her wish list!

I am probably forgetting tons of important things, but I had waited too long already for an update--didn't want to wait any longer!