Molly and her circus friends performed Saturday afternoon at ComFest. It was super hot!! ComFest takes place over three days. For so many it is the three days they look forward to all year. My son and his friends included. Our house is close to the bus that runs down to the park so we have had kids, many kids staying here this weekend. I am tired and looking forward to a quiet day tomorrow!

Here are a few more photos from the weekend.

Until next year—Happy ComFest!

My two older kids learned how to hoop years ago. They have taken a few hooping classes and practiced on and off for years. They can do some tricks and walk around and keep the hoop up and going around effortlessly for hours.

These photos are from a few years ago at circus practice. I on the other hand never could get the hang of hooping.  Even as a kid I just couldn’t get the hoop to stay up. It always looked so fun but I also felt self conscious that I couldn’t do it so I didn’t practice at it much. And just figured I was just someone who couldn’t hoop.

Now fast forward to  this year. One of the great things about the internet and blogs is being able to see how other people live. I have been loving the new wave of unschoolers that have taken their lives on the road.  I have been  living vicariously through these families whose blog updates I  anxiously await just to  see what “we” are up to in our customized RV!  I so wish we could pack up and go–live an adventure on the road. But alas-my family says NO!  So as I sit here and dream I notice that many of these women have taken up hooping. They look like they are having so much fun.

And then Sara posted this giveaway and I entered thinking Molly would love a new hoop. But as I began clicking around her post I found that Lara and Superhooper were taking their hoops on the road and heading towards Ohio. Without a second thought I contacted Lara and invited her to Columbus.  And with that I decided eff it I was going to learn to hoop.  I didn’t care if I looked foolish. For three days my kids tried to teach me. Nothing. I watched countless how to hoop videos on Youtube and even checked a hooping book and DVD out of our library. I was dreaming about hooping.  Then it happened!!! On day 5 finally I could keep the hoop up for a minute or two. And each day it gets easier and I don’t have to make such huge exaggerated movements to keep the hoop up anymore!!! YEAH for me!!

Ginger learned too. But she is learning much faster and is working on tricks already. She literally went from not being able to hoop at all to using 2 full size hoops in less than a day.

One of our hoops broke and with 4 hoopers and being down to 1 hoop we needed more…we had to have more! So we went to Lowes and bought our supplies. (There are instructions and tips all over the internet.)

irrigation tubing  160 psi  3/4 inch

3/4 inch connectors

various colors of electrical tape and duct tape  (we found some metallic tape at a craft store.)

you will also need a hack saw and a blow dryer

Don’t be intimidated this is super easy

Measure your tubing –your hoop should come between your navel and your nipple.  The bigger the hoop the easier it is.  Mark it and cut it with a hack saw.

Heat one end with the blow dryer to soften up the tubing so the connector fits in easier. This only takes a minute or two. Once it is warm shove the connector in half way.

The girls wanted their hoops to make noise so we added rice to the tube

Next heat the other end and connect the tube together as close as you can get it. Then we wrapped a bit on electrical tape at this point to keep it together snugly.

Next–decorate your hoop however you want using electrical tape and  duct tape. The duct tape is a little slippery and wrinkly for hooping so electrical tape is recommended but we used both.

As soon as we finished we went and hooped in the dark in the back yard! There just isn’t enough room in the basement for three hoopers—unless we stand on the furniture!

Looks like we are set now! The white hoop in the front is actually an LED hoop that my husband made for Molly for Christmas a few years ago.  If you are local and are interested in joining us for free classes with Lara let me know!!! She will be here next weekend. Happy Hooping!!

I can’t believe how fast this summer is going by. We have a list of activities, projects and places to visit this summer and I feel like all of a sudden I am trying to fit everything in to our calendar. We have been spending most of our days at the pool. Ginger has taken up perfecting her flipping, jumping and diving off the diving board.   Last week we did manage family night at the zoo, dime a dog night with The Clippers, a lecture on The Sells Brothers Circus, ( the Sells Circus was based here in Columbus), and a local church festival.  We also spent a good deal of time lounging around with our new haul of books from our most excellent Main Library.

Today I asked what the girls wanted to do and this is what they choose:

a short hike to this:

Hayden Falls -a hidden gem not to far from us!

Followed by a picnic lunch in the park. A perfect afternoon!!

Broken humerus snowboarding with friends today.

Lucky he had a helmet on!

Bad timing!

We are leaving for an Unschoolers Conference at a water park for a few days, we have a quick ski trip planned, he has several circus performances coming up, helping out with a music video in the girls breakdancing class, and he and Joe were going to Jackson Hole for snowboarding and snowmobiling. (which may still be possible if he heals in a timely manner).

Ginger is sick and I spent most of the day at the hospital with Jake,  so packing and shopping for our trip is not happening. So, I will be cramming in what I can tomorrow and then off for a few days of R&R. I’ll be back next week, hopefully with better news. Or at least I’ll be well rested.

I took lots of photos at Circus today!

Among the many things they learn at Circus is poi.  It looks easy…but it takes a bit of work.  It is really relaxing and it is a great exercise, especially if your looking for something that passes the mid-line; like Brain Gym exercises do.

Ginger is anxiously awaiting the day she can join Jake and Molly in the Grimaldi Circus.  Today she decided she needed her own set of poi at home.  So we found 2 socks (cool stripey ones would have been more fun!) and we stole a couple of our dog’s tennis balls.  If you don’t have tennis balls you could use-rice, beans, another pair of socks…Stuff whatever you use into the toes of the socks.

Then tie some decorative ribbon  around the socks- I tied them low down but my kids moved them up a bit so the sock was more saggy.  You can google poi and come up with several sites with shopping opportunities, poi instructions and even classes.

Ginger has been practicing all night!

We live in a really active arts community.  With a OSU and CCAD in our city, along with  The Short North down, High St.,  there are many opportunities to not only enjoy art but participate in it also.  Last night The Short North introduced a new concept, Art al Fresco.  Most galleries stayed open late, hosting performances in their windows and on their sidewalks.  Artists, including my kids Grimaldi Circus, roamed the main drag.

This is just a small sampling of the fun!  Hopefully this will become a regularly scheduled event!

And on another hopeful note-I have fingers crossed that Ginger’s puking and high fever this morning at 5 AM will be quick to pass.  She has a very important Birthday to attend later this afternoon.  And I already made the potato salad dag nab  it!

Nothing feels quite blog worthy these days.  Seems like boring reporting.  Hopefully next week I will feel more inspired.  I am feeling  like the summer is slipping away-how pessimistic is that on July 13th?  At the end of every 4th of July my dad would say, “Well Summer is half over.”  I think I got it from him.

Anyhoo on to the weekend update:  Saturday morning brought the usual trip the our farmers market and lunch here:

at Rad Dog.  If you are local check out the schedule and have a tofurky treat-with condiments of excellence!

Sat night I got to comb my hair and put on my best flip flops to enjoy an excellent adult only dinner at The Bonefish Grill.  Can you say Mmm Mmm Great!  If you have some extra cash and a babysitter you should definitely check it out.

This morning we headed out for a bike ride.

And I spent a bit of long overdue time in my veggie garden.  I think there were steroids in that compost I added ’cause I got me some big veggie plants!

At this rate the tomatoes ought to hit the roof by the end of August! I have loads of flowers on all the veggie plants but I haven’t seen many bees and I am wondering if I need to head out with paint brush in hand for a little manual pollination.

I have nieces coming to town to visit this week, we have the Kidz Artz show to get ready for and evening circus classes all week.  Phew-more busy-ness!