Well, I'm still running like crazy - but I did manage to move the wierdkids site onto a new program. The main pages are in Dreamweaver, but I still have to clean up the coding and make sure that all the pages work.

I'm thinking of adding more new stuff, and letting the kids make their own stuff. William has some pictures about the project he is working on - making a Halo helmet. Niki has quite a bit of art and concept stuff that she could put together. They've been working hard at avoiding anything that looks too much like schoolwork - So, they're making lots of progress without workbooks. Isn't homeschooling great?

In my news, I've a good mention in Mary Griffith's new book "Viral Learning: Reflections on the Homeschooling Life". I'm very proud that I could contribute something real, but I'm still bumming that I haven't yet reached out with something that's just mine.

If you haven't yet seen it, William's old project is on YouTube, and WK. Even better, Will and his Dad evisterated the XBox 360 and fixed the stupid thing. I can't even say how disgusted I am with Microsoft. It took hours on the phone for Microsoft to admit that we owned and registered the stupid thing. Then, we shipped it in for the fix. Only, they sent it back!! William had painted the CD door gold - and according to Microsoft, that was a "mod" (modification) that they wouldn't cover. It was PAINT! Paint that could just about have been wiped off. So, after all the time that we spend training people to use computers better, and all the money that we've spent and spend monthly (360 live) - we're not valued enough to fix a known design flaw. So much for being first in the running of the geeks... I'm not willing to buy Halo 3, and I'm set against Uncle Billy. The thing is that it's William's passion. He's in the beta, he's designed a helmet and is working on ideas for web pages - plus, it's his money. So, he'll be in the running of the geeks.

Yay, it worked!! This is Will all dressed for paintball. Doesn't he look all grown up??

Oh cool! I guess you do have to check these things constantly!! I found a great new site for having an RSS feed for my list of stuff to get to (don't worry if this doesn't make sense) - but blogger changed too. So, I had to do some jumping to get thru the hoops to get them to work together.

Now, my gmail works with blogger, chatspeak, and 30 boxes - Whoo Hooo!!! Now, if I just had a better mobile, then life would be good. Oh, and have everything able to update my main domain, and be able to download everything that I need to know about dreamweaver in one big chunk.

Ok, there's some new pictures of William on flicker, we've been doing the park days at Lake George and that picture heads off www.bemidjihs.com - the BAHA website. (Oh, and I need someone who would like the homeschool t-shirts that say BAHA, I think 4 more and the printing is free) Um, the camping trip starts this weekend, and we may have someone organizing a Nisswa water park trip on Aug 15th.

I've been getting behind in my notes to myself (and anyone who cares to listen). I'm working - which is a drama that I won't flap about. I suppose the big news is that a new format is coming. One that is easier to change around and organize into something that looks like rational thought rather than someone's attic. Another is that I'm signed up for a blogger update, I just have to sit and figure it all up.

The cat is being passive agressive with her tail from the top of the monitor. I play a video game and the tail is over a corner. I surf and the tail is over the X. I'd get angry about it, but she is smirking at the same time. She loses the smirk when I poke her in the butt to move the tail - but they both wander back into place as she shifts around, dusting the top of the monitor with her belly flab. Yes, Mildred, I'm discussing feline flab on my blog. Nyah Nyah. If you've noticed, she is the star of the Menu site's anti-spam filter. So, now you know that the loop of fur that droops down the monitor is the reason that she stars on a page about eating well.

The big project is underway, and Bemidji Menus is now Live! We have most of the menus around town, and are still typing. WHEW! But, it's big and pretty, and very worth looking at.

Now, if I can just the card reader to work so I can post up the new pictures...

It's been a quiet week of dejunking and getting ready for winter. Niki took a big step into adulthood by getting rid of all of her Polly Pockets sets. The drought is finally over, so I have grass again. I set up the Fire Station tour for the homeschool group, and found two sources of firewood - so that's two quests fulfilled.

I think this is my favorite picture of the bunch. The beautiful red head is doing her best scrunchy face while her brother is thinking of hiding from the camera again. Niki is giggling at her rescue of Michael from the "Vortex of DOOM" that the kids were doing in the whirlpool. How homeschool to do a science experiment with some 15 people in a hotel pool! I'll have to get permissions from the rest to blog those pictures, but they are so cute... Afterward, most of us trekked out into the blustery 40 degree weather to the heated outdoor pool and hot tub. The hotel had mini golf and roasted marshmellows for us - but it was too cold to get too far away from the heat sources. The Marco Polo game turned into a Roman-water wrestling, so there were some very tired, very happy soggy kids in Duluth that night.