The kids break trees....well boards.

We had an amazing thing happen recently...my kids broke their first boards. I was a teenager when I broke my first board. It was really cool. I still have the board too. Along with the board(s) that I have broken at important events - like testing. Board breaking is awesome. It is such a stress reliever and it shows that you really can use the kicks and techniques you have learned.

Nicholas breaks with his knee.

Nicholas wanted to go first in his class. He took a try or two to break, but he did it and he was super excited. He thought he would sleep with the boards. He ended up letting me just label them and put the in his box to save.

Abby breaks with her knee.

Abby was adorable. She's the youngest in her class - not the smallest though. She took a few tries too. I think she didn't really understand what she was doing. But she refused to be parted from her board at home. She danced around with the board saying, "I broke something, I broke a tree." It was really cute. A huge thank you to their teacher - Rachael - for helping them develop and grow and love karate. I think this is great for them and they love it.

Fantasy Football, karate, and school.

We do a lot of things at our house. Sometimes I feel like w do nothing but "do." So I love days when my kids are tired and just want to relax around the house. It can make it difficult to find the motivation to go to the gym, but it's fun to hang out with the kids and make popcorn, a fort, and watch some movies. We call these days "lazy days."

Unfortunately, they tend to coincide with my need to deal with my Fantasy Football team. And I should just note that no one should ever want to be drafted into my FF team. By week 4 - last week - players are hurt, and team members are dropping like flies. So I have to remember to always check my team. Or I'll end up with another disaster like last week. Nicholas is beginning to really like FF. He asks me about my team and wants me to "crush" his dad when we play each other. Too bad I have a feeling this will work the other way around. Maybe next year we can start a league with kids and their parents - then Nicholas can play too.

We are still in karate. All of us. Abby has been doing great since the ages are split up (4 and under/5-6). Nicholas has been doing much better too. But I really want him out of the Kinder Kicks class. Not because it's a bad class - but because he's older now and if he's going to progress in martial arts, he actually has to go forwards and learn. I'm testing for my second black belt - not my second dan (I have that already) - but my second black belt. The pretest is Saturday - I think I'll pass - and then the test is Nov. 1.

School is going well for the kids. I've found the best way for Abby to learn is base it in art. Nicholas likes science. Since I've switched our spelling words to science words, he's doing much better.

On a side note: I found this article on Pope Francis. I really think that's he's a great man of God. I know he's not my religious leader anymore, but you should really read this article. It's amazing. To read what he says about God, conversion, and taking care of people. It's clear that his focus is on treating all people as people - not treating people as a characteristic, a number, or an ethnicity. He's an awesome guy. I hope he changes the world for the better.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/01/pope-francis-interview_n_4023659.html?utm_hp_ref=religion