Kiddo Update

Last night, Allison asked me if Argentina is in Kentucky...five minutes later she asked me if steak comes from pigs.  Should I be worried???

In all seriousness, the kids are doing very well.  They are settling in to all aspects of Belgium nicely.

Socially, they are doing just fine.  Allison was invited to sleep at two different houses last weekend, and Thomas is going to another birthday party on March 16th.  Their mom needs to have some more play dates here at our house.  I thank God they have met some very nice friends who make them smile each day.

Homework is more in control.  They know what is expected of them, and they are doing a better job of  dividing the homework into manageable chunks throughout the week.  I have not received one graded paper from school.  And, grades are not available online.  Communication with home is not like it is in Morton.  I've had to let go a little and trust that everything is okay.  They both have great teachers, so I know if there is a problem, they would be sure to let me know.  I am looking forward to conferences on March 15th. The kids are going to start French tutoring at home on Thursdays after school.  It's covered by CAT, so we are going for it.  I think they will both feel more comfortable.  I think I've also talked Chris into bringing home the Rosetta Stone.  We'll take all the help we can get (me and the kids!)  French is tough!  Allison has started her science fair project.  And, I thought we were going to get out of that!  Bummer.  She is testing different microwave popcorns to see which one pops the best.  Her prediction is that the most expensive will have the highest percentage of popped corn.  Turns out..there is only one brand of microwave popcorn in Belgium, and it is made in the US.  It's more like kettle corn and burns very easily.  So, Daddy is bringing back popcorn for the experiment.  Good thing Daddy was traveling home this week!  Allison also had to go through the maturation class last fall...you know...the 5th grade movie.  Well, it turns out they do the 5th grade movie in the spring at ISB.  So we get to do it again.  Oh yippee!

Allison started violin in January, and she is now caught up with the rest of her class.  She has had private lessons once a week, and this week she is playing with the other 5th graders.  She is very excited!  Both kids are still Skyping piano lessons with Jennie back in Morton.  That is going very well.  With the piano in the main room, it gets more playing time than when it was in the living room of the old house.

On Tuesdays, the kids are doing rock climbing after school.  At Lincoln School, it was called Afterschool Adventures.  At ISB, it's called ISB+.  Now an Afterschool Adventures class would usually run around $25 and last six weeks.  Our rock climbing class will last approximately 13 weeks, but it is a bit more expensive...360 euros for the two kids.  That's about $475!  Cough..choke..gag...I am not one that would spend that kind of money on an after school activity.  But, this is their only "fun" activity right now.  Thomas doesn't want to play baseball, and Allison has decided to wait and start dance in the fall.  So, we will be sure they do not miss any of these classes because we are paying dearly for their participation!  And, I don't want to hear any complaining about the cost of Afterschool Adventure classes.  You're not going to get any sympathy from me. :)

I continue to be so proud of the two of them.  Someday, they will realize what an amazing opportunity this is for them.  They have already grown up so much since we arrived.  Now we just need to work on our geography skills and where beef comes from. :)

Until next time,
Wendy