Moving Up

Ronin had a Belt Test in karate last week.  He was excited about this particular test because passing it meant he would be able to move up to the next class. 

"Clearing" his mind on the way to class:

Focused and ready.

Ronin always does a great job taking it seriously and doing his best.

Connor being supportive from the sideline.

Announcing the test results.

Ronin's name was called.  :)

Yay!  Ronin passed his test.

Way to go, Ronin!

His buddy, Andrew, passed too.

Yesterday Ronin got to attend his new class for the first time.
There was one particular reason as to why Ronin was so excited to be in this class, and that reason would have something to do with this helmet:

SPARRING!     (aka: contact fighting)

In this class, Ronin gets to start learning how to fight.  How is that not exciting to any seven year old boy?  From a teaching standpoint, sparring gives the students a chance to start putting all the skills they've learned into practice.

He looked so cute with all of his gear on. 

I was excited for him; I knew how much he'd been looking forward to this class.

Mouth guard face.  :)

Class begins.

The first exercise was to hold still while your partner practiced hitting with light contact (pulling the punches instead of letting them sink in.)  Just standing there and getting hit made Ronin smile from ear to ear.

Ronin's turn, watch out! 

At first Ronin didn't quite get the "light contact" concept and was putting in some strong punches to his partner.  His instructor came over and and walked Ronin through it until he completely understood how he was to fight.  He caught on quickly.  

It's no surprise this this would be Ronin's most favorite part of class.

Changing up sparring partners.  The girls can certainly hold their own in this class.  This girl drilled Ronin in the head.

But Ronin quickly caught on how to move and duck out of the way so his partner couldn't hit him so much.  He was able to get some punches in as well.  I must say, he did pretty well for his first time sparring.    

The last sparring match was everybody against everybody.  The kids loved it.

The last half of class focused on stances, kicks, and blocks.

I think it's safe to say Ronin feels right at home in his new class.

Ronin's Belt Test

Ronin had his first karate test yesterday. He was really excited.

Testing begins.

Panel of judges.

Ronin passed his test! Receiving his new belt.

Ronin with the owner/main instructor.

We're very glad his daddy was here to see this.

Congrats, buddy!

Let The Madness Begin

With school kickin' in, everything else seems to as well. The kids are all getting back into the activities they enjoy. This is when I turn into the "Taxi Cab Driver" everyday after school, running kids everywhere they need to be. To be honest, it gets so hectic at times without Jed's help that I just can't keep it all straight all the time. I usually end up missing or forgetting to get one of my kids somewhere. Sometimes dinner just ends up being a bowl of cereal or a pizza I've picked up on the way home. And then we've gotta get the homework in there somewhere too. But I give it my best and try to stay really organized.

It makes me think of those single moms out there. How in the heck do they fit it all in without going crazy? I don't know how they do it. It's especially hard when there are two activities going on in two completely different places. It is so much easier when Jed is home, we can just split up and accomplish two things at once. This year is going to be much different. Thankfully, my mom has offered to help me out a little bit, which eases my stress. Oh, I can't forget Aubrey, she is my little apprentice and built-in backup. She is a great asset to me in getting everything accomplished and I rely on her a lot. I appreciate her very much.

For Ronin, we put him into a different karate school this last month. We did this so that he could do something he could call his own, without any of his siblings to compete or compare himself with. He is really flourishing and it does my heart good to watch him put every ounce of effort in class.


He really enjoys his classes. The instructors are competent and know how to run a disciplined class that is still fun for the kids.

Check out the intensity in Ronin's face - he gives it all he's got.

A Little Bit of Background Info on Ronin:
Ronin has struggled in different ways over the last couple of years. He used to be one tough little cookie. He oozed with confidence. He felt like he could do anything. He rarely cried, even if he was hurt.

Over time he's become a completely different person on how he reacts to situations. Somewhere along the line, he has lost some of this confidence. He has become extremely sensitive. He has a melt down over any slightest thing that doesn't go his way. For example, not being able to find his shoes or figure out a problem on his homework. He immediately falls apart and begins to whimper, wine, and ultimately, cry.

We are trying to find ways to build up his confidence again, and karate will be a key factor in this process. I feel like he needs to relearn that he can do anything he sets his mind to. To not give up when things get hard and that he can handle anything that comes his way.

When I watch Ronin in class, I see the old Ronin that I used to know.

Ronin earning a stripe that brings him one step closer to being ready for testing day.

Such a cute, little stud.

So here's to karate, ballroom, piano, flute, football, church youth activities, scouts, homework, Relief Society meetings/visits, and simple dinners! We'll get through it all somehow.

So you may ask, well if it's so busy why don't you just pull your kids out of everything or cut back? My answer is this, with as hard as this year is going to be with their dad being gone, I want to keep my kids productively busy. I don't mind the craziness of it all if I think it will help the time pass more quickly for them. The activities will help keep their minds off of missing him so much.
Besides, each individual child gets to only do a few activities, but when you put them all together I'm the one that gets super busy. For example, Ronin will do karate and football, Connor will do piano, ballroom (Aubrey needs a partner), and scouts. Aubrey is the busiest with ballroom, piano, flute, and mutual. She wants to stay in karate but I don't know how she can fit that in. Ballroom is three nights a week, and she has to play her flute at sports games for school. Then she's also got mutual to go to as well. I feel she's got enough to do at the moment.

So this is my plan: keep the kids busy, but not too busy. Hope it works, I'm crossing my fingers.