Thoughts not useful in my head...but good for theirs

I slept like a log last night for the first time in a long time. I think it was because my cycle had reached the ONE DAY EVERY MONTH that I actually get to feel like a normal human. Or maybe it was Voodoo.
I read Harry Potter until after midnight last night. It’s getting really good. I thought Hermione was a goner for a few minutes, but she made it. I’ve been thinking about it all day and can’t wait to read more tonight. Now, that’s a good book.

The kids are doing a Summer Review Challenge ’07 - I made it up. And it's even cornier than most of the ideas you get from those parenting/family magazines. You know, the ones you read and you think, "You've got to be shitting me. This woman actually does this?" and then you realize that no, she really doesn't. Because no one could be so completely lame or have so much time on their hands to do most of the "mothers suggestions" you read. They just come up with these ideas once, try them out on their guinea pig family and then send the idea to the magazine, hoping it will be printed, not because they're excited to share their new blockbuster idea that their own family won't even consider trying again, but because ooooooh wouldn't it be so cool to be in a magazine. But I did it. I made up a Summer Review Challenge 07 for the kids. And, even though I haven't submitted the idea to Family's Who Do Queer Things Magazine yet, I actually think it's pretty good. And, here's the crucial checkpoint - the kids are enjoying it.

Summer Review Challenge 07
On Sunday night I put together five "scrolls" for each kid. Each scroll is a review sheet; a cursive writing sheet, a timed math test, a list of things to measure, etc. They aren't too difficult, but just challenging enough to make them stop and think without getting frustrated or sick and tired of school before it starts. The object is, after all, to get their brains in the school mode again. And if they get frustrated, they'll just open up the "I hate you and I hate school" floodgates and life will be a living hell from now until the end of June...a full month longer than usual. I also put out five prize bags for each kid. The bags hold small prizes, a single serving size bag of Fritos, a pack of Webkinz cards, a gift certificate for a game of catch with Daddy, or maybe a gift certificate allowing them to have ice cream with their breakfast on the day of their choice.
The scrolls are sealed so they can't see the review sheet before they choose it. They can't leave the shittiest one for last. And the bags are sealed too, so the prize is a surprise - they can't snuff their noses at them and then base their level of effort on the reward in front of them.
So, they come down in the morning and grab a scroll. They open it and work on it. It must be completed correctly and approved by an adult before they can choose a prize. Then they can go and choose a bag.
It's been really good so far. I'm amazed that each day they are actually looking forward to doing their challenge. It's the first thing they do when they get up. Here's where I get to bragging - are you ready? This is what I would send to the magazines - wait till you hear how creative I've been. First, here are a couple of the "scrolls" they've worked on:
Jake got a Lands End Kids catalog and he had to pretend that he had $250 and had to choose what he wanted to buy – getting as much as he could but not going over the $250, and he had to include shipping. He did a great job adding the items as he went along, etc.
Grace got a grocery store flyer and she had to pick out items to make up a dinner (a balanced meal) and dessert and figure out how much it would cost.
Grace has had to measure her father's big toe, my pinky and her brother's nose.
I found a website, http://www.kidzone.ws/tracers/usa/index.asp, where you can create your own custom handwriting tracing pages. You can write kid-specific sentences for them to trace. Grace has gotten them as she'll be starting to learn cursive this year. I made them funny - well, funny in that corny mom sort of way.
There are all kinds of other worksheets you can download from the internet. I use a mixture of downloaded sheets and my own ideas, so they aren't doing the same kinds of things every day.

I listed some of the prizes above, but last week each kid got a bag of play money as one of their prizes, with a note that said, "Keep this money safe. You'll need it next week at the Marketplace." This week the Marketplace opened. They each have two prize bags that contain a note that says, "Congratulations! Get your play money out! You get to shop at the Marketplace." I had set out about 10 items on a desk in the house, each clearly labeled with a price. They get to buy two items at each visit, but they have to first add up the total and give me the exact change. Jake also has to figure out the tax.
Grace has won a trip to the marketplace already this week. She bought four little plastic piglets and a white chocolate lobster. She named the piglets: Joy, Grace, Hope and Lucky. She wanted all “positive” names.
Jake, having been away a few days at camp, is a couple of days behind. He has done two challenges, but because he chooses his prizes based on the weight of the bags (heaviest to lightest as the week progresses) he hasn't opened a bag with a marketplace note yet. Today he got a pack of gum in his bag. However, because the marketplace is open for viewing all the time, he knows just what he's going to buy when he gets there.
The Summer Review Challenge 07 will go for four weeks; we're in the middle of week 2 right now. So far so good.