First Day of 4th Grade

September 4, 2013

First day of 4th grade

Summer homework diorama -- MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN

1,000,000 Steps!

In late June, we challenged Henry to walk 10,000 steps per day (4 miles per day) during the summer to remain active. Henry really embraced this challenge and yesterday surpassed One Million Steps -- about 400 miles! We purchased a GeoPalz pedometer on July 2 and began recording his steps online. Geopalz has an award program offering a point for every mile. This certainly helped to keep Henry motivated. Every night we recorded his steps.

Looking back at our summer, we felt like we were so busy, but our schedule was not very different than past summers. On average we walked 5-6 miles per day (14,000 steps). Henry had several days where he exceeded 20,000 steps (8 miles) in a day. We literally walked hours every day to accomplish this goal. We had a lot of fun and some interesting conversations. We varied our paths and routes and mixed in public transportation.

Now Henry is back in school, and soon the weather will change. I know we will continue walking as a family, but I suspect we will not be able to keep up an average of 5-6 miles per day.

A Really BAD hair day...

Have you ever had a bad haircut? I mean a really bad haircut... one that makes you want to cry? Today was a rough day. Henry went to Rudy's in the Pearl for a routine "trim/clean-up". I thought I was clear in telling the "butcher", I mean stylist, that we like his hair "longer". I'm trying to be more relaxed and less of a control freak when it comes to such details. I usually bring a photo (below), but I didn't today. How do you stop someone, once they clearly went too far? Poor Henry was devastated. We keep reassuring him that his hair will grow back fast and he still looks very handsome. The results are undeniable... I did tell him that lots of veggies, exercise, fresh air and sunshine will stimulate hair growth. This is what Henry's haircut was supposed to look like:

This is what it ended up looking like:

(bad haircut from 2005)

A Bagel Experiement... Who makes the best bagel in Portland?

We are always in search of the best bagel in Portland. I've been thrilled with Bowery Bagels, but I have also heard wonderful reviews of Spielman's on SE Division. This morning we decided to put the bagels to the test. We purchased 4 bagels at each location... 2 Salt, 1 Everything and 1 poppy. The prices were the same 1.50/bagel ($6 for 4). We splurged on some Gina Marie Cream Cheese at New Seasons.

The salt bagel from Spielman's had a really hard and thick crust, immediately making Bowery the clear favorite. The Everything bagels were a bit closer, but in the end Bowery won every vote and was the clear favorite. They are chewy and dense with great flavor.

Aulani Christmas

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Profile of a Second Grader

Age: 7
Height: 51.5"
Weight: 79 lbs
What do you want to be when you grow up?
"Scientist that works in an Antarctic base"
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Salted Carmel from Lovely's Fifty Fifty
Favorite Holiday: Christmas and My Birthday
Favorite Movie or TV show: Phineas & Ferb
Favorite Dinner: Pesto Pizza

Favorite Animal: Black Panther

Favorite Color: Sky Blue

Favorite Author: Bill Peet

Favorite Place: New York City
Where would you like to go on your next vacation? Hawaii
When and where were you the happiest? Disneyland

Henry's 7th Birthday