First Camp - Mini Health Sciences Camp

Mica's at his first camp this week. It's through school, but mostly at Creighton University and one day at Bergan Mercy Hospital. 

Creighton University's Ceiling is amazing!

The best thing about this camp is that it's free! Because he got into The Health Care Academy in middle school, he has to participate in the Mini Health Sciences Camp. I'm not saying that in a negative way. I'm glad.

The worst thing lately is that we realized before camp yesterday that Mica grew so much in the last month, that his shorts are too short and tight. It's like I need to go buy him a whole new wardrobe on his bottom half. I'm not kidding. I got him all new shorts right before Easter. He's as tall as the clock now. I have trouble touching the top of the clock.

Camp Schedule:

Monday:

They started out with a debriefing. A panel of different students were up front giving advice on high school and college life. That included how to get in. 

They dissected sheep eyes. Crazy! Mica doesn't like to touch raw meat in the kitchen. I would have loved to of been a fly on that wall. 

A Tour of Creighton Campus

Tuesday:

Occupational Therapy 

Lab Work

Pharmacy Activity

Health Living

Wednesday:

Another Tour of a Different Area of the Campus

Physical Therapy 

Thursday:

A Tour of Bergan Mercy Hospital 

Friday:

Pharmacology Research and Tour

Healthy Living Again

Effects of Drugs of People

Swag:

He got a shirt, bag, and water bottle, for the camp. 

Trend:

Have you noticed a trend in the medical field, or coding where it's mostly girls? There are 10 girls in Mini Health Sciences Camp, and only 4 or 5 boys. 

I noticed that being a teacher for web, where there's coding there's way more girls than boys. It didn't used to be that way. A lot of places are pushing coding for girls, and not pushing coding for boys at all. Just something I observed. 

WW: Hummel Day Camp {Linky}

The boy's last camp was last week. It's an outdoor camp at Hummel Park. The kids get dirty, they cook over a fire, play outdoor games, hike, go on obstacle courses and much more.

Isaak went on the obstacle course and decided it would be a great idea to go under it. His whole group was cheering him on. He got so muddy he couldn't see. He rolled around in the dirt and sand. They nicknamed him, "Breaded Chicken". He had to be hosed off before they'd let him on the bus to go home. If he only knew that his brother got a huge rash from mud one year.

Isaak got the Muddiest Camper Award - Breaded Chicken. 

Isaak went on and on talking for 40 min. about his first day of camp. He told me every detail!

Mica complains about Hummel Camp before he goes there. He says he doesn't like the outdoors, and reminds me every year about the rash he got from the mud. Every year (minus getting the rash the one year) he's gone he enjoys it.

Mica wrote a camp lunch song to Led Zeppelin's Black Dog. He was really excited about it. Poof! His excitement was ran into the ground when he got to camp, and realized no one knew his song. :( He came home and said, "Mom people my age just need to be more cultured."

Neither of his camp councilors must have known the Black Dog by Led Zeppelin either because they game him the Beatles Award. LOL! 

Mica did however win what all camper's aim for, The Hummel Cup Award. It just means that you kept your campsite clean, followed rules, and aimed for camping success. They just get to run around the camp with a big trophy, and that's it. To them it's success. Here's my nephew Evan and Mica running around the camp following their Hummel Cup trophy.

Have you been hiking this summer?

Camp Aim for the Stars

I have to go backwards a bit. A few weeks ago the boys went to Aim for the Stars | Science and Math Camp at University of Nebraska Omaha.

I like that the camp is so parent friendly. What I mean by that is, is that they have a before and after care program, they have a self pick-up for kids that have been to the camp for more than a year - you just drive up to pick your kid(s) up and they get in, their registration is simple and online, you can pay for all of the camp or installments, and the family event is in the evening.

They've been going to this camp for years now. What I like is that they offer different camps within the camp. Examples: Isaak was in Stack it Up! and Mica was in Get Your Game On! The year before the camp names and content was different for the boys.

Family Night was the night before we went on vacation. There are options, so we do things different each year. You can go into the classrooms to check things out. There's also a choice of going into the planetarium for a slightly cheesy movie, or C.A.P.O.W. - Chemistry and Physics on Wheels. C.A.P.O.W. almost seems like a magic show, but it's science. They have their gift shop open. For the camp the kids get a $5 off coupon for anything in the gift shop. We always have gotten something small for the boys there.

Here's their camp t-shirts they got this year:

We actually opted to skip the big fancy presentations, and spent our time in the boy's classrooms this year.

Isaak was so excited to be in Stack it Up! with his cousin Elijah. They built a city with Legos. Isaak had a theater. He had a container where he was collecting fake tickets from people. 

Isaak was really happy that Mr. Miller was his teacher for the camp. He has worked at the elementary school when Mica still went there. He has a boy that's Mica's age and a girl that's Isaak's age. We've had their other oldest child babysit a long while back. We've hung out with them at different times. 

Besides stacking things up with Legos, they also played Jenga and were supposed to have a paper airplane contest, but it rained all day so that got canned. 

Mica wouldn't shut up about Get Your Game On! He was a little bummed that his cousin Evan wasn't with his. My sister Terra signed him up for a different camp. 

Mica's never really gotten into bored games as much as Isaak or I. With his birthday coming up he has been going on and on about games he wants. A few are $45 games! Yikes! He's talked about all these survival games: Risk, Pandemic, Settlers of Catan, and Stratego. 

I bought Risk on vacation to keep them occupied at Travis' Aunt and Uncle's house. 

I got Settlers of Catan on Amazon with a GC I won. 

I've contacted Z-Man in hopes that they'd give me Pandemic to review. I even laid out what kind of a post I'd like it to be. Where I'd go over board games for older kids, and ways they benefit them. I haven't heard back, so I'm betting that's a no go. I kind of wish they'd just email me saying, "Nope", so I'd know to just buy it. I thought with reviewing for ThinkFun, Goliath Games and Tenzi they'd be all over that. My life feels a bit full of rejection these days. Oh well. 

Mica even taught me Othello; saying it would now be my favorite game. It was good he was thinking of me. I did like it.

We spent most of our time in the game room battling it out. 

Isaak got a bit bummed the teacher kicked his butt in Chess. Ha!

What board games do you like the most? Are there any that you've played that we should try out?

Disclaimer: None of these products were given to me to review. I'm only sharing an experience.

Label Daddy Review

Save 20% on Label Daddy labels! 

Label Daddy is the number one solution for labeling your belongings! Remember to label all clothing, sports equipment, electronics, and other personal belongings your kids bring to school, camp, sports leagues, day care, vacation, and other places. Label Daddy labels keep them from getting lost or mixed up with others. 

I get labels for the boys every other year to use for school and camp. Some of their things don't need to be labeled because their school supplies go in a big pile for the whole class to use. Other things do need to be labeled. 

At camps the boys always need a water bottle. I put labels on those.

This year I choose to get basket ball labels for Isaak to use.

The labels turned out great, and Isaak's a happy camper for sure! First camp this year is Camp Invention. We added a label to his water bottle that he needs to take with him every day. 

Order:

I got small all purpose labels. They can go on water bottles, clothing, luggage, folders, and more. There are many sets to choose from! Some sets have labels that vary in size.

I stuck with their basic design: Basketball. They have team icons, princesses, trucks, emojis, monsters, camp, other random icons, or plain solid labels to choose from. One that I did see missing was all the superheroes that they used to have.

They have different colors and fonts to choose from.

They do space the letter different than the preview shows, but they note that in small letters under the preview.

I think we'll have enough for camp and school. For camp the boys typically use it for just their water bottles, and possibly their lunch bag. For school they put them on folders and notebooks.

Here are some tips that Label Daddy sent me:

• Extra Small Labels work great for all garments. Put the label on the tag if possible. It will last longer there. That's where people look if they are trying to return a clothing item to you. If you have a tagless garment, place the label on the tag that has the washing instructions. 


• When you apply a label use pressure to get the label down, so that it doesn't fall off. 


• Wait 24 hours before washing a clothing that has a label on it. Again this will ensure it's had time to adhere to the fabric.


• Label Daddy has a laminated option. What this is for is if your clothing is going to be used around chemicals such as chlorine, sunscreen, cleaning agents, or extreme heat. 


• Do not apply labels to clothing that has been pre-treated with a stain/water repellent, such as a scotchguard. They won't stick to a "not-stick" surface.


• Zipper tags are for labeling, not for pulling. If they are tugged on daily a zipper can break. 

These labels are super durable peel-and-stick washable labels -- they're washer/dryer safe, microwave safe, dishwasher safe and UV resistant! Label Daddy labels are also fun and attractive. You design your own labels! 

Their exclusive laminated coating gives labels an extra layer of protection and is a must for camp! These labels are made in the USA and shipped directly to you worldwide.  
 
Save 20% on your entire Label Daddy order - this is the best discount available anywhere. Use code USFAMILY20 at checkout. http://www.usfamily20.labeldaddy.com

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using USFamilyGuide. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 

Random Tid Bits

1. For a few weeks now I've been battling it out with computer problems. I think I have it fixed, nope, think again. It keeps fanning up like crazy when I'm on the internet! Under Activity Monitor it kept saying that my Mac was using over 100% CPU for Google Chrome Helper. I removed some things off that looks suspicious, it still fanned up once again! I read up on computer issues with Macs. I've had this one for quite some time. It's been virus free up until this point. I read up, and watched videos on how to fix my Mac. Finally a coworker convinced me to download Malwarebytes. I was incredibly nervous to download anything when something from the internet was clearly my issue. Like what if I downloaded a fake version of Malwarebytes, and then it would be worse off than it already was? That was my thinking. Malwarebytes detected 15 problems, and removed them! After that it continued to fan up. I did a system update, backed up my stuff again. 




Now my boss can't see my back up on other macs. The battery life says, "Condition Replace Soon". That isn't good. So I need a new battery.


2. Isaak starts a camp next week! It's an upcycled | Invention camp. I think he'll love it!


3. Our family is into watching a show called Under the Dome.  It's based off a Stephen King novel, and directed by Spielberg. It's not scary, just odd. Have you seen it? It's on Amazon Prime.








4. Do you have sisters, brothers, or are/were you a single child? I have sisters, and there seems to be drama at many turns. I wouldn't say I'm a dramatic person, but I am like Isaak where I want things to be right. I don't like to leave people out, make people feel bad and so on. 


5. Do you have any big plans for the weekend? I think Isaak and I need to work on a craft. The boy will go to decorate cupcakes at a library, and Mica started volunteering for a few hours on Sunday at the library. 

@usfg @labeldaddy #ad

There are 2 times in the year a Mom could use labels: 

1. Back to School 
2. Camp Season

I signed the boys up for some camps, so we'll need some labels for their water bottles and bags. I don't care so much about their clothes. I send them to camp with clothing I don't really care about.

Save 25% on Label Daddy labels! Label Daddy is the number one solution for labeling your belongings! Their exclusive laminated coating gives labels an extra layer of protection and is a must for camp! Remember to label all clothing, sports equipment, electronics, and other personal belongings your kids bring to school, camp, sports leagues, day care, vacation, and other places. Label Daddy labels keep them from getting lost or mixed up with others. These labels are great for adults too! -- Put them on your sunglass/eyeglass case, phone, camera, sports equipment, tablet, e-reader, hats, clothing, and more.

These labels are super durable peel-and-stick washable labels -- they're washer/dryer safe, microwave safe, dishwasher safe and UV resistant! Label Daddy labels are also fun and attractive. You design your own labels! Pick from tons of colors, sizes and logos, including MLB, NBA, and NHL team logos, other sport and fun logos, and more. These labels are made in the USA and shipped directly to you worldwide.

Save 25% on any label order from Label Daddy - this is the best discount available anywhere. Click here labeldaddy.com/usfamily The discount will be automatically applied at checkout.

Disclaimer: This is an ad for Label Daddy. I will get a package for posting this, and have a follow up review post. Label Daddy did not influence me on what to write.

Aim for the Stars

I feel so behind in blogging about the kids.

The week I had surgery Mica had camp at the university here. The camp is called Aim for the Stars. My sister and I enrolled Mica and his cousin Evan at the same time for their Astronomy class.

The camp is a full week camp from 9-4.

They are super organized! If all schools could have a drop off and pick up system like this camp does every mom and dad would be happy.

It was nice that Mica and Isaak got a break from one another.

Travis dropped the boys off in the morning, and my sister picked them up in the evening.

They did a lot of things, but talked mostly about the solar eclipse coming up, and their rockets that they got to launch.

This camp has a family night on Thursday. I went knowing that I'd have to get up early for surgery the next day. We were expecting to stay extra late that night because Mica's class was going to go star gazing. Mica said to his camp councilor, "Ummm I don't know how my parents are going to feel about this. They are pretty strict about my bedtime." LOL We  have them go to bed between 8 and 9 in the summers because we work, so they have to get up with the chickens with us. Every Saturday they stay up past 11 with their leadership camp. It's not like they never stay up late. Well they ended up canceling the star gazing due to thunderstorm warnings. I wasn't the least bit sad.

We did have a choice that night: Go to their planetarium to see a show about the solar eclipse, or go to a science show. We opted for the science show, since we've always picked the planetarium. It was a good choice! The scientist was older, had a ton of history stories, and tied it into science. The kids were very engaged.

Mica got to pick out a few things at their gift shop with a coupon the camp gives. He picked out a slinky and pink slime. The next day he applied pink slime to his jean shorts. Just so you know if you ever need to get slime off of clothing, soak it in vinegar. 

The following week after my surgery it was Isaak's turn to go to Aim for the Stars with his cousin Elijah. They had NXT Engineering. So they made robots, programed them, and had them do things. 

Isaak was super excited about his camp. Even more so than Mica. Maybe it's his age. His partner in making his robot was his cousin Elijah. They had Mica and Evan drawing up ways to make their robots move faster on paper, then were testing those ways out in class. 

Everything was going great. Then all the sudden the camp had the kids switch partners. Isaak got a kid that was bossy. He missed having his cousin as a partner. That was the only flaw of the week. 

That Thursday night became my first big outing. I don't even think I put on actual clothes until then. Ha! Isaak was so excited to show us everything, so it was good I went.

Isaak picked out this rock with his Aim for the Stars coupon. He was super protective of it. I tried shoving it in his lunch box, so everything was together. Isaak took it out, and carried it. 

Did you go to camp when you were younger?

Omaha Community Playhouse - Camp 1

The boys are in quite a few camps throughout the summer: 

• Omaha Community Playhouse (theater camp)
• UNO Aim for the Stars (science camp)
• UNO Basketball Camp 
• Hummel Day Camp (outdoor rough and tumble camp)

Some camps around here are less expensive than daycare + more fun. Camps can be written off on taxes like daycare can be.

Last week they started their first camp at Omaha Community Playhouse. 

I don't mean to sound negative, but...

• In the past they had a performance up on stage. They didn't do that this year. A lot of parents didn't know what they were doing, or where to go. 

• Mica said he didn't know what his group was doing at all. 

• My Mom was unable to go down the steps to see Isaak preform. She had Polio, so her legs don't work the best. 

• The boys performed in different spots, so I had to run back and forth from downstairs to upstairs. 

• It seemed like a scattered mess - unfortunately. It's really too bad because the boys actually do have fun at that camp. I've always had great things to say about it. 

Where there's a negative there's a positive, so...

• Isaak's class did seem to have it together. I don't know if his teacher has been there longer, or what the deal was.

• Isaak learned about puppets, which I love. He made a cardboard mask, and worked with shadow puppets.

• Mica's performance was more like a bunch of games. He did learn to project his voice. My parents said that he was easy to hear, and moved around well, which is what they were supposed to do. 

• They enjoyed each day. The camp seemed to wear them out pretty well. They were tired around 8. For summer that's a great thing.

• I think this is the first year they have gotten t-shirts.

I can't say we'll do it again. It's sad because my kids loved it in the past. Isaak's teacher did do well. It just seemed too all over the place this year; with no solid plans.

Isaak's class acted out the story from the book, The Jolly Postman or Other People's Letters.

Isaak was the bear in the story. He was all excited about it! He got this mask:

Then his class made shadow puppets. They acted out fairytales. This was The Gingerbread Man. They did the voices behind the puppets as well.

I went up some steps to peek in on Mica's group. They were just playing acting games, but didn't really perform anything. 

This is really the best photo I could get, since I had 2 kids in different spots. I didn't get a good seat.

My parents did say that Mica acted out his exercise really well. I was hoping for more. I think all of us were.

I took photos of the boys with their theater shirts on at The KANEKO Museum that night.

Have you ever been disappointed in something you were once happy with? 

Random Tid Bits

1. Isaak said to me, "Mom I found out something that Benjamin knows the same as me!" Benjamin his friend from Argentina. I asked, "What's that Isaak?" He said, "He knows Indiana Jones. I started humming it, and he hummed it right along with me." Isaak was pretty excited about that.




2. Mica went from not wanting to try anything, to wanting to try just about everything that comes his way. Before Spring Break, "Mom can I try volleyball? Aiden says it's just for girls, but it says nothing on here about it being just for girls." I read the memo and said, "Sure." Well I thought it was just at school; teaching them the sport. Just the other day I got a letter saying that the teacher will drop them off at other schools, and we have to pick them up. This kid is also in Chess Club, another round for Read to Succeed, band and he wanted to play his first ball sport - soccer at the Y. I told Travis to show up at his first practice, and if the games got in the way of other things just to bow out.
   
   Travis went, had fun watching, and never said anything. Can you tell I'm not that Mom that likes to stay busy? I like my own life too. Up until this point sports didn't dominate our lives. I was completely happy with that. I guess I should be happy they are not involved in baseball. That's a high maintenance sport, schedule wise. Ha! I do like that Mica's trying things. Isaak's completely happy playing basketball. He loves the sport.


3. Mica found out what middle school he's going too. It was his top pick. Many of his friends aren't going there. There's many middle schools for the district. I just said, "Just be glad you didn't get your home school.", which his home school sucks! I said, "Mica you're likable! You'll make friends. If you hate it, we'll send you somewhere else the next year."
   
   I'm doing what many parents have already done, and Mica's getting a cell phone for his 12th birthday. He's not only getting it to take to middle school (bussing), but 12 year olds can start to babysit. We no longer have a home phone. He'll need it. 


4. My sister and I got our sons in the camp that fills up within minutes. Yes you read that right! It's only $95 per camper. That includes bussing, and it's all week, all day. They wear them out! This is what Isaak looked like at the end of his camp a few years back: 




He wasn't sad, or pissed. He was just worn, out and tired. I thought by the looks of it that he had a rough time. NOPE! He got the award for being the most enthusiastic. HA!


5. The boys will go to the outdoor camp, a math/science camp, an acting camp, a leadership Sat. night camp, and in spring sports. We don't have daycare per say. Instead we try and fill their summer time up with camps. What kind of camp(s) did you go to when you were younger? 

My Little Leader

Not the best photo in terms of quality, but I like the content.

The boys started back up at their Leadership Camp: Banister Leadership Academy. 

They have breaks here and there.

It's Saturday nights from 6:30 to 10:30. It does kind of run late for all of us. It gives us time away from the kids. They seem to enjoy our boys because they for the most part are pretty positive little guys. The boys enjoy their program. 

Isaak did have problem with a bully last session. That kid got kicked out of the program. One of our goals that we wrote down for Isaak (we have to write a goal each time) was that he learns how to deal with bullies. That way the leaders know it's an issue that needs to be resolved. I wouldn't say Isaak gets picked on a lot, but he shows his emotions on his sleeve. Kids see that.

They write up forms to tell you how your kids have been. Isaak's gotten comments on the form about how he talks out of turn at times. We had him write down things for himself to help with zipping his mouth when the leader is talking. That seemed to help. The whole camp isn't about the kids being quite. It's just key times. 

What do they do at this camp?

They learn about keeping a budget, they have group trust activities, they have math exercises, they have gym/play time and more. 

Each week they talk about one key thing: Respect, Responsibility, Trustworthiness, Citizenship, Caring, Fairness, Honesty, Perseverance, Integrity, Courage, Unity and Creativity. 

They have new leaders this time around. Isaak's leader has been having him write down facts about different countries to take to camp the following week. 

He's learned about Australia, Brazil, and Japan. 

We have Isaak look up all the information about the country he is learning about on his own. He can use his Kindle. He only needs one fact, but he writes down about five. 

Then we talk about it. 

It's really great that he takes initiative with learning more than he needs to. For two weeks he hasn't gotten called out for talking. Yay! 

I have to say that this camp has grown on me. For awhile I was annoyed about the bully incident. It's a leadership camp. No kid should have to put up with bullies in a camp with that direction. They do try and take in all kids - especially kids that are troubled to make leaders out of them. They did deal with the bully. Our kids seem happy to go. In fact there are times when they say, "When is Banister?" I enjoy the family nights. They have lots of activities for us. :) 

Recent Camps

Back in May I went to a camp event that was sponsored by the boy's school district. A whole bunch of camps had tables to sign up for them.

It was really helpful. 

One form I filled out was for Banister's Leadership Academy. This was a camp not everyone could get into. They said it is difficult to get into actually. The cost is free. The camp is Saturday evenings. I was beginning to think that the boys didn't get in. It was well into June before we got a letter from them. When the letter came in the mail it wasn't clear what the camp was about. There was an orientation, so we went to check it out. 

They went over: 

Disciplinary Action: They send the kids to a timeout, and discuss both sides of what happened, and why they are in trouble. They always have a progress report for every kid at the end of the night. 

When it is: It's every Saturday from 6:30 to 10:30 PM. I was a bit thrown off with how late it is at first. Our kids go to bed about 8, and are asleep about 8:30 or 9 PM. I knew it wouldn't last for, forever. It lasts 4 weeks. It makes a great date night for us. 

Where it is: It's at Omaha Home for Boys. The kids are locked in to ensure their safety. 

What They do: They start off with games like UNO, Chess, and more. Then they have Pizza Hut. Later they do a leadership activity, which changes every night. Lastly they go to the Rec Room to play pool, air hockey, foosball, and in the gym they can play basketball. 

I admit I was nervous the first time I dropped them off. They didn't know anyone, and I knew they'd be getting done so very late. As soon as Chess was pulled out I knew they were good. 

Aftermath:

When we picked up the kids the first time they were all sweaty. They played hard! They were super talkative about everything they did. I guess Mica was the one that got the "I" word right after going to just one session = Integrity. 

The next day Isaak was upset that it wasn't camp day again. They are used to camp days that are in a row. Mica said, "Mom I think it's funny that they call each other homies instead of friends there." It is primarily African Americans that go there. The camp leaders talked about it being diverse. I think my kids make up that diversity. I'm really glad that they are there. They love it so far! 

I came to the realization how divided our wanna be big city really is with the color of skin. It's sad. I drove to the next camp mentioned below, and it was full of caucasians. Why? Because of the part of town it was in. That camp costs money to. We really teach our kids racism. 

I've been listening to the educator Jane Elliot, and I love how she teaches about racism. It's harsh, but needed in my opinion. If you've never watched any videos with her I really hope you do. Just type her name in YouTube, and she'll come up. She separates elementary kids, and college kids in the classroom by eye color. When kids are told they are stupid, or not pretty their test scores go down. As harsh as it is, I wish every classroom went through her study. 

The other camp the boys just went to was Camp Zorinsky. That ran all last week. It's an outdoor day camp. It's a ways away, so I felt like I was driving a lot that week! We got there early many days because I didn't know how long it would take to get there. Photo opportunities I guess.

They went over:

Canoeing: Mica quickly learned that, that is a group activity. This was the first for the boys.

Fishing: Isaak caught 3. He was so excited. Mica didn't catch anything. They practice Catch and Release. This was the first for the boys. 

Archery: They've both done that before and have loved it.

Swimming: There was a mishap. Isaak dived in a spot where it was too shallow. He says he was told he could dive. Boom he scraped his nose. I'm so glad it wasn't worse. It could have been bad. We had a few talks about pool safety. I'm putting that in a category of crap happens. I'm not playing the blame game.

Nature Hikes: Both boys got really sunburnt during this camp. There are less trees, and more lake at this place. Kids lack on reapplying sunscreen, and moved to applying aloe vera gel. Mica's ears blistered up, and I felt bad for Isaak's poor nose with the scrape and a sunburn. They had to wear hats. These are the only hats they have that cover their ears. They look like rice farmers.

Camp Songs: Are always at the end. I get to hear the boys sing them all week. Lucky me. 

I told you Isaak doesn't like his picture being taken. HA!

What have you been up to?