Candy Math

We did it.

We finally got a library card from a library that is close by!

Apparently the house we live in is out of the city limits and does not pay library taxes through property taxes.  So - we had no library access close to us.

The city of Austin has a kind of "no child left behind" policy for their libraries.  Basically if you don't have access to one then you use theirs.  The nearest one to us took 25 minutes in traffic each way.  

I started taking Secret Agent Man to the library when he was 7 months old.  Baby story time.

We have gone each week since then.  Until we moved here.

This is our longest time away from the library.

So we went to the local library in the next city over (actually closer than our own cities) and asked.  It only cost $35 for the year!  I was hesitant about paying because I remember the Aurora public library card costing several hundred.  Admittedly the library system in Aurora is top notch.  There are no libraries here that even compare.

With Secret Agent Man reading several books in a day, the cost is easily mitigated.  Even if we were only purchasing used books.

So anyway, one of our first books to check out was M&M math.  It is the second version.  I think the math is a bit harder in this one.

I quick went and bought some.  Of course they only sell the extra large bag (that's okay he did it a few times over several days).

It was a fun project to squeeze in before school started.  Secret Agent Man loved it!  

Dr Kudchadker

Secret Agent Man had his 7 year well visit yesterday.

He is 50" and 54 pounds.

His new doctor (nurse practitioner) here is okay.  It felt more like they were just checking off a checklist from some government agency then really inquiring about his health.

Does he drink milk?
Can he tie his shoes?
Does he eat fruit?
Does he like reading?

Don't get me wrong.  Especially with my public health background, I understand the need to establish this information on a child and choices being made in their environment.

It's just that - they are doing it all wrong.

The questionnaire, the bedside manner, really believing that they are going to get honest answers to questions in that way.

You see, we were very lucky to find Dr. Kudchadker.  He cared for Secret Agent Man since his very first doctor appointment at three days old.

Because Secret Agent Man is so healthy; after those first few years, we only saw him annually.

It didn't matter.

He remembered.

The doctor would come in, give Secret Agent Man a kiss on the head, and start talking to me like we see each other every day.

He would say "Secret Agent Man, you are SO healthy.  Look at those bruises on your legs, fantastic!  You are solid muscle!  Great job to Mom and Dad, he is eating very healthy, I can tell.  You should have 12 more like him!  If only every patient were this healthy!  You are going to be a football player one day!"

All the while he would be prodding and inspecting and checking him over.

Then he would ask what questions or concerns I had and answer them all for me.

Secret Agent Man actually liked to go see him and even after immunizations, he left happy. I liked to go see him (wish he could have been my doctor) and always left happy.

He didn't need the checklist.  He just doctored and got the same answers.

To be fair, he has had over 50 years experience.  Maybe they just need time to catch up!

Secret Agent Man's visit, even without Dr. Kudchadker, went well.  He is still just as healthy - they just aren't as excited about it.

It was the first visit without a shot.  He received the influenza vaccination via mist for the nose this year.  After the first shot up there his reaction was "Whoa.   Dude."

That was pretty funny.

Cute little friends

Our landlord sent us these pics from a while back.....

These cute little guys were living in the bushes behind our house.  We have been hoping to see some in person but, no luck yet!

Nitro Swim- Passing levels 7 and 8

This week at swimming Secret Agent Man put on his rocket pack and blasted through the water.  His backstroke was amazing.

It was obvious he had really been practicing during the week.
I recorded this

and then immediately after he attempted the 20 yard swim.  I was so amazed at his form and speed that I forgot to record it!

He was very eager to get in the water and take his turn......

He passed Level 7 easily and moved onto Level 8.  This is the level I have been waiting for.  The safety level.

He has to demonstrate bobs in the water, a survival float and also jump in and recover to the wall.

Here he demonstrates the survival float.

He passed level 8 the same day!

He had about 10 minutes left to start practicing for level 9.  Level 9 is five strokes freestyle, flip onto back to breath, flip back over, 5 strokes freestyle, etc. for 20 yards.

Very impressive progress in 9 (or 10?) short weeks.  From barely being comfortable putting his face into the water to this!

1st Day of 1st Grade

We laid out his clothes.
Got the backpack ready.
Printed a family picture and put it in the frame.
Chose breakfast.
And headed to bed.

Those night before the first night of school butterflies were filling his tummy!

He was so excited!

We woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast, brushed teeth, took some pictures and headed out to school.

He had to add the 'D' for Secret Agent D, just like Secret Agent P - Perry the Platypus.

The three of us walked in and he sat at his seat.
I talked with his teacher for a bit and he immediately started chatting with the other kids at and near his table.

He gave us a quick wave and a big smile; and we were off.

Happy that he has such a good school to go to, excitement to learn, friends to play with and opportunity.

Sad that he will be away for so long during the day.

Excited to pick him up and hear about it all!

Guest Bedroom

I already showed you the dresser from the guest bedroom.

I had previously refinished the bed from a frame I purchased at a garage sale for $30.

I hung white curtains across the windows and door to the upper deck to cover the landlords blinds.

This mirror was originally purchased at a garage sale to place over the fire place in the living room.  It turned out to be WAY too big.  I thought it was nice in this nook as a dressing mirror and right next to Secret Agent Man's drums for when he plays.

I dragged up the surround sound system that Special Agent Dad and I purchased for our first apartment in Japan way back in 2001.  We hooked it up to the roku for guests to watch tv (and we watch movies up there occasionally).

Also, we needed LOUD music for Secret Agent Man to hear the music he is playing to while he has on his hearing protection.  The sound up here is amazing.  Try it out if you ever stay with us (pandora is on the roku)!

If this room were my own and not rented there are some other changes I would make.

First off, I would definitely get rid of the carpet.  Wood floors with a nice wool rug under the bed would be beautiful.

The built in desk is nice but I would probably extend the built in across the entire wall so it doesn't appear so off center. It would also get a lovely coat of white paint.

I would paint the walls a nice gray color with white trim and crown molding.

I am being conservative about hanging things in this house because it is a rental but,  I may hang some prints over the bed when I get to it.  The room definitely needs some love to the walls.

The fan. is. bad.  New lighting.

The window unit air conditioning is helpful.  The house is old, so the actual air conditioning doesn't reach this high and far very easily.  The window unit saves money and allows the guest to bring the room to their own comfortable temperature.  For me, it is very loud.  I would upgrade to a quieter and more energy efficient model if I did not  re-work the house for two separate air conditioning units (one for each floor).

That's it.  The guest bedroom.   This room has been very full this summer, we have had many guests!  I hope most of you get the chance to stay with us and use it!

Guest Bathroom

I have been getting several requests for a house tour.  I will try to go through each room and show them as I remember.

These houses were built in the late 70's to early 80's as custom builds.  The lots are very large, most over 1/2 acre.

Some of the homes have 5 garages!  That's enough for cars, boats and RV's (yes some of the garages are two story for RV storage)!  Don't get too excited, our house has a two car garage.

The houses are all different in the neighborhood so it is always fun to visit a neighbor or friend and look at the design/style/set-up of the home.  Our home is one of the smallest I have been in, that being said, this house is HUGE and is actually much too large for our small family.

Some of the homes have been completely remodeled to all of the modern upgrades and some are in original condition.  Our landlords have remodeled about half of our house.  The master bath has been completely redone and is AMAZING.

The upstairs bath between the two bedrooms has not been upgraded as far as we know but, it is also pretty amazing.  It's a large bathroom with vanity.

Since this bathroom is really only used intermittently by guests, I haven't done much.  I threw down some gray bath rugs I had and bought a few new gray color themed towels.

There is very little natural light from this window so the pictures aren't very good.

After posting this picture I am sure they must have replaced the tile in this bathroom.  It is very nice and I believe the same as the tile in the Master Bath.

The sink side:

Just opposite the sink, the vanity side.

I had this basic white waffled cotton shower curtain in the last house bathroom.

There is plenty of room for storage.  The drawers have everything a guest needs: toothbrushes, razors, Q-tips, wash cloths, toilet paper, etc.

These pictures really don't do it justice.  Come see it in person!

Backstroke!

Secret Agent Man passed level 6 at swim lessons and has moved into level 7.

His goal: swim 20 yards (maybe metres) backstroke without stopping.

He got in and did it right away.  But, this school does it right.  They are picky.  They want good form and are not taking chances.  They want to know that you do it right so that you are safe doing it.

On this day, Secret Agent Man was the only student.  Usually there are up to 3 students per instructor.  The kids take turns.  One swims while the other one or two wait sitting on the side.

Being the only student means swimming non-stop.  He swam backstroke back and forth for 30 minutes straight.  He was very tired when that lesson was over!  He probably swam at least 300 yards that morning without stopping!

Here is a short video of his backstroke.

We are working on keeping the arms next to the head when they go back and kicking the feet hard enough to keep the body buoyant.

Once he passes this level, the next is the safety level.  He is very quickly learning to swim well enough to be safe in the water!

School's starting soon!

Secret Agent Man is excitedly awaiting the new school year.

School supplies are purchased, a few new clothes, snack and meal planning is underway.

His teacher comes on Thursday.  The teachers each walk around from 5-8 pm and meet all of the students and their families at their homes during the welcome walk.

That is when we find out who his teacher will be!  Very exciting.  We have plans to decorate the door.  There is a contest to see who decorates the best with the most school spirit.

On Friday, we head over to the school to find his classroom, it's a back to school Howdy.

Then next week comes everything else.

Waking up at 6:30 every morning
First Day of 1st grade
Open House
PTA meetings
Math pentathlon sign up

and Later on........

Chess club sign up
Flag football with the YMCA
and whatever else we get ourselves into.

Sorry for the absence!

We have been busy having lots of fun over here as summer comes to an end!
We will be back soon with updates and pics from our fun in the past week and a half!

Coming soon......

San Antonio Riverwalk and the Alamo

Secret Agent Man's art portfolio from Art Class

A video of Secret Agent Man swimming backstroke after he passed level 6!

The guest bedroom finished photos

Photos of the guest bathroom

And more!!

Another Food post!

Of course we have to share all of the good foods we have been eating lately!

Our trip to Dallas had us heading straight for the newly opened Trader Joe's.  Special Agent Dad has been missing his cookie butter and Special Agent Man and I some of our favorite Trader Joe's items.

After we checked into the hotel we headed out on the George Bush turnpike to our destination.  We got there and.......it was not open yet.

Womp.....Womp.

We made the best of it and jotted across the street to Whole Foods for dinner, with plans to hit up the Trader Joe's in Fort Worth on the way home.

Whole Foods is awesome because there is something for everyone, the food is delicious, and it's cheaper than a restaurant.

We started with these delicious coconuts for coconut water.  Our walk left us dehydrated!

Secret Agent Man had pizza!

Special Agent Dad had chicken with beet salad and some other goodies from the hot bar.

I had a sandwich.  There are so many delicious vegetables at the sandwich shop that I just can't keep away from these sandwiches made with hummus on a fresh baguette.

When we got back to the room, the hotel had left Secret Agent Man some milk and a cookie.  We stayed at the Omni and their turn down service is amazing!  

We got home and were treated to this delicious homemade Persian food from my sister-in-law.  Wow!  I need to learn to cook this!

And lastly, a special request by Secret Agent Man to make pancakes.  Blueberry, chocolate chip, and an attempt at a Mickey Mouse shaped one!

We did make it to Trader Joe's on our way home and are happy that there is one coming to San Antonio in a few months and to Austin next year!

Trip to Dallas

We took a day off to head up to Dallas to pick up our visitors.  We stayed in Las Colinas near the Mandalay canals.

It was a hot day (110 degrees) but we wanted to walk and see everything because it was so beautiful.

The canals are fed by a lake.

The streets have old brick sidewalks and really beautiful condo's.

You can rent gondola rides to pass through the canals here.  It was so hot that we only saw one person out the entire time we walked and none of those boats!

Back to the hotel, where Secret Agent Man had to have this shot of the olympic rings that were in the lobby.  

A beautiful view of Downtown Dallas from our room at night.  (sorry so blurry, Special Agent Dad doesn't know how to turn off flash ;) )

Refinishing a Wooden Dresser

I have been wanting to refinish this dresser for a long time.

It was passed down in great shape, solid wood.

I had already replaced the knobs a few years back to these simpler stainless steel knobs.  The old were chunky square wood knobs.  (Forgot to take a photo until mid hardware removal!)

I hauled this thing downstairs to my workbench, and got started.

Even though it appeared to be stained,  I did a quick lead test on it to make sure I wouldn't be sanding lead.  

Lead is very dangerous, especially for children and can be ingested easily when handling older furniture.  Never sand old furniture, walls, paint or anything that could contain lead paint without purchasing a lead kit!  

The test came out negative so I sanded down one of the drawers with a medium grit sand paper very lightly.  

Then I looked over and saw that the paint I would be using was a Low VOC primer/paint mix.  

No sanding necessary!  The primer will easily allow the paint to stick to most surfaces of furniture when refinishing.  This is especially true if you are going to beat your piece up a bit for a rustic/used look.

Before

After

Sorry for the poor pictures!  I gathered up a few different knobs that I had and haven't decided which one's will stay yet.  Once I decide, I will probably spray them all with a good shot of Rustoleum ORB (Oil Rubbed Bronze).

After I got the dresser finished I stuck the TV on top of the surround sound system.  We needed to set that up in the room for Secret Agent Man.  He wears hearing protection during drum practice and we need to be able to pump the music up very high so he can play along.  

It actually sounds awesome and he enjoys watching movies in the guest bed.  It's kind of like a media bedroom.

We have company coming that will be using this guest room this weekend so I should have finished photos of the room soon!