Successful Sleep-ins - Week of Oct. 25th

"When I wake up, I am reborn." ~Mahatma Ghandi  

"I love sleep because it's like a time machine to breakfast." ~Unknown

For as long as his parents can remember, Cam has been an early riser.  Perhaps it is the excitement of a new day, the promise of what's to come.  Sleeping in on the weekends was never something we had experienced as a family.  At first we thought it was a fluke that Cam slept in until 8am last weekend, but when it happened again this Saturday and Sunday, we were assured this may be our new norm.

It was a another eventful week of school for Cam. When we ask him how the day was, he typically responds with "It was good. How was your day?" We refer to this as his deflection technique.  In reality, though, it seems each school day truly is good.  Pictures are posted in a private parent portal showing some of the activities. 

This week, a spirit day to show sports teams and a field trip to the zoo made for a pretty cool time for our eighth grader.  He is much more comfortable standing on a regular basis now. It allows for him to interact with his peers and teachers face-to-face.  The greater independence that has been gained increases his confidence too.

To further boost that assurance, we asked Cam if he would attend a Halloween fundraiser with his parents and dress up in costume. In 2020, Cam's Halloween ensemble was a literal Zoom meeting since he had endured so many for virtual schooling.  To continue the trend, this year, our family collectively thought up the WAH or "Work at Home" entry.

According to recent statistics from the Pew Research Center, 71% of employees now work from home in 2021 compared to 21% in 2019.  

Cam's costume included a desk, laptop, post-it notes, pens, fuzzy slippers, tie and a laundry bag on the back.  Chris joined in by adorning shorts, flip-flops, jacket and tie.  

The fundraiser, "Fowling to Keep Them Rolling" was for Alternatives in Motion.  Jane is on the Board of Directors and was asked to reach out to someone to be a celebrity judge. One of Cam's best buddies, Brody, is the namesake for Brody's be Café and was the perfect option.  He and his mom, Jenny, the owner of the café met us at the Fowling Warehouse only five minutes from our home.  Pizza from JT's was served in abundance and the boys thoroughly enjoyed it.  There were quite a few costumes to review.  Although Cam didn't take home any prizes for his entry, his buddy, Brody, gave him a personal shout-out over the microphone.  Immediately following, the actual M.C. announced that Brody may be taking over his job next year!

Another celebrity judge was a local newscaster, Tessa.  She recently moved to Grand Rapids and can be seen daily on one of our resident early a.m. morning news.  She just became a board member for Alternatives in Motion.  Cam and Brody were both quite chatty with Tessa.  

We all agreed that the buddies would be more than happy to start a fan club for the local personality they met that evening!

Camology Quotes:

Jane and her son love making homemade banana bread.  We keep bananas in the freezer for this very reason.  The recipe is one modified from Martha Stewart with mini chocolate chips added in.

One evening when Chris was occupied with a work event, Cam declared we should make our famous bread.

Jane had to finish up business emails prior to baking.  She told Cam they could look up the recipe when she came back upstairs. Within the next fifteen minutes she was back at Cam's desk where he had been very, very busy.

"Mom, I found the recipe on our app.  I sent you a text with a link and I sent you an email!"