Summer to-do

What have we been up to since school let out? Besides taekwondo?! Well, here is a little sampler. I am sure it is "To be continued":

Well, first of all, there was two weeks of summer camp at the school. The kids had a full day, every day, of sports, swimming and arts. The program was well-run and they had a blast. I didn't get many pictures as my role was only 'drop off and pick up' but they were excited to go each morning, and exhausted and happy each afternoon. So tired they'd barely stay awake through dinner.

A little playstation game sharing is nice too - when it is too hot to be outside.
Brian likes to invade my laptop. He's reading Aunt Christine's blog "The Ukraine Train" here. We all want Dennis home as soon as possible!
A dress-up Princess tea party is a nice way to spend the afternoon with a friend.
Followed by a dress-up Princess - and not dress up Prince - Chinese take-out party in the evening.

Not all is for playtime though. We have to do some work too. Honor likes to wash the balcony and plants - it gets very dusty out there. She gets it very wet out there. Good way to play outside, splash in some water, and actually get some good work done too.
Thirsty plants - but not for long, when Honor is on the job.

Daddy's Home

Well, we hate it when Brad has to go away without us. This time was over 3 weeks, and finally! Daddy's home! The kids have been working on a couple of surprises for Brad for when he returned. One was a journal - a notebook in which they wrote about things they did while Daddy was gone, they drew pictures, and we pasted in drawings and other activity pages that they did, at summer camp and at home. The other was a 'Welcome Home' banner for our entryway.

Here, Supergirl works on her end of the banner.
While on the other end, her brother carefully colors in a rainbow heart.
They worked very well together. (the cats helped, but I didn't catch them in action)
Ta-daa! What greeted Brad - along with two very bouncey kidlings - when he arrived this afternoon.
After dragging Daddy away from Brian and their catching up on Age of Mythology game strategy, Honor gets some snuggle time.
Welcome home sweetheart! We missed you!!

Astrology

For my blog friend and fellow crustacean :-) Mama Seoul.


I do not understand much about astrology... numbers and dates...eep! What kind of pagan am I anyway?? Not very mathematical or detail oriented, that's what kind! But I find astrology fascinating because it can be so very accurate. I became a believer after our children were born and brought their personalities into our lives. They fit their sign types so well - it's amazing to me! I may never understand how it all works, but that's ok, it's still interesting.

Here are some good links to play around with:

Evolving Door Astrology. Look for the the definition of your sign and those of your loved ones.

Aries - Traits for the sign of Aries are: pioneering, direct, courageous, fast, enthusiastic, on the move, wilful, flirtatious, youthful.

Capricorn - Traits for the sign of Capricorn are: structured, cautious, responsible, leader/authority, realistic, serious, ambitious, logical.

Guess which one of the two signs above goes with which kid? Brad and I are both Cancer.

Cancer - Traits for the sign of Cancer are: nurturing, intuitive, feeling, caring, heartfelt, protective, family/home oriented.

Now, if you want a really in-depth astrology chart (free- so many others charge) and explanations, try Astrolabe. I think the similarities of these readings, to the real personalities of my loved ones, is striking.

More fun with Chinese horoscopes. Those nifty little placemats in Chinese restaurants that tell you what your Chinese sign is by what you you were born in, may have been fibbing. The Chinese new year doesn't always match up with the western new year, and did you know, you also have a sign for the month, day, and hour as well.

Try this calculator: Chinese Astrology calculator. This just has the year, the animal and aspect, for example, Brian's aspect is Metal, animal is Dragon. Brian actually has 3 dragons in his chart... based on his year, month, day and hour - and yes, it fits him perfectly.

This page has good, basic, definitions too: Chinese Astrology Year Chart.

This website has a calculator for your four pillars. You will need your birth time.

Have fun exploring! :-)

(btw... Brian is Capricorn, Honor is Aries. I bet you guessed correctly.)

Picture credit to: Astrology Weekly