Just a Regular Week

After lots of excitement last week, we enjoyed a "regular" kind of week this week.  It wasn't boring, though!  Somehow, things around here are always interesting!

On Tuesday morning we had our dance warm up, and the last song requested was "Nowhere to Go But Up" from the new Mary Poppins movie.  Most of the gang continued to dance, but Dev, Sam, and Bo settled in on the couch and sang along since the lyrics were onscreen.  What a treat!

Next, we went outside to see if the birds had enjoyed the bird seed we left for them in the Community Garden.  They had eaten several of the homemade feeders we placed in spots around the garden, but the extra seed we put in a hanging feeder was mostly still there.  Hopefully the birds will find it soon!

As usual, bowling was a lot of fun and our guys did very well!  Kacie is working hard to make adjustments to her swing, like putting a little more power into the roll, and keeping her eyes on her target.  It's beginning to pay off, as she had rolled a spare on her turn previous to this one...where she rolled a strike!  Beside her, Patrick, who is also making MAJOR adjustments with his swing (no more throwing from overhead, which he did for years), finished this turn and made a spare.  We're very proud of them!

Laura and Annmarie high-fived each other after both made spares at the same time!

Hi Alexis and Devin!  No bowling brag here, just a couple of buddies hamming it up for the camera!

This is Cameron...Cool as a Cucumber after scoring yet another strike!  Way to go, dude!  In the background is Sam, and we should mention that he's working on adjusting his roll, too.  He's trying to keep his hand from turning as he releases the ball.  He had a lot of rolls stay near the middle of the lane today!

Ahh...pizza at bowling!  There's nothing quite like it and we always seem to be soooo hungry by the time it arrives!  Thanks this time to Drew's Meemaw for sponsoring it for us.  We deeply appreciate the support of her and everyone who helps us with this expense.  AND, we really appreciate Ed, AMF Williamsburg Lanes manager, for giving us a steep discount on the pizzas!

It was chilly and a little bit breezy after bowling but we got in a short walk at Freedom Park.  We were excited to see that the path from the parking lot to the main paved walking trail is also now paved!  No more walking on the beaten path, which at times could be muddy and also had a few holes!

After our walk, we went to the garden to check on the greens.  We were delighted to see a beautiful patch of mustard greens and spinach!  We harvested a couple of bags full, and will enjoy a delicious salad tomorrow!  Thanks, Master Gardeners, for helping us plant these seeds back in September, and for allowing us to reap the harvest!

These ambitious ladies picked the beautiful leaves for us!

One last thing before we left!  Pam W., our volunteer, had given us a Kindness Rock she found recently and asked us to place it in the garden somewhere.  Liz found a perfect spot!

On Wednesday morning, just like every morning, Liz is hard at work gathering lunch orders for the cafeteria.  She takes orders and then summarizes them so the cafeteria staff can easily get the meals together for us.  Great job, Liz!

During computer lab time, some of our guys explored another new website, and worked on spelling, grammar, and punctuation.  Cameron and Kate were trying to decide on the correct spelling of a word.

Sam partnered with Xavier and did an excellent job helping him stay on task.

Our Rotary volunteer, Dave, enjoyed working with Dev and Liz as they all three tried to solve crossword puzzle clues!

Here's a fun picture of us working out with a silly YouTube video!

Wednesday was National Love Your Pet Day.  We enjoy celebrating this day each year as we share pictures and stories about our pets.  This year, most of our friends showed pet pictures from their phones!  Here, Chris checks out one of Dev's dogs while Bo, in the background, looks for a good picture of his dog.

Kevin lost his beloved Bailey last year.  He proudly shared this blanket that holds a lot of sweet memories for him.

Chris and Laura enjoyed prepping the spinach we picked at the Botanical Garden yesterday.  We made a beautiful salad bar that also included strawberries, peppers, cucumbers, and almonds.  Yum!! (We were too busy eating to get a picture.)  We'll use the mustard greens in Thursday's meal!  We love our Master Gardeners and every time we enjoy fresh food that they helped us acquire, we love them even more!

It was also Cherry Pie Day, but we made a "healthier" version...more like a crumble than a pie.  No complaints, though.  It was just as good to us as a bona fide pie!

The weather outside was cold and rainy and we were yawning by the time Patti came for yoga.  She informed us we would be doing "sun salutations" that would help to energize us!

Soon, we were on the floor stretching and lengthening our spines.

If this looks like a comfortable position, it is.  We were moving our legs from side to side which gave us a good twist in our hips and lower back.

Bless Devin's heart...he just needed a little catnap.  Patti tells us to listen to our bodies, and sometimes our bodies tell us to get some shut-eye!  

After yoga we rallied to do some educational work.  Here, Devin is wide awake as his group works with Carol on similarities and differences.  😃

Kacie and Cameron checked each other's work after completing a crossword puzzle.  They both did very well!

Alexis was all focus as she unscrambled words correctly.  Her handwriting was very neat, too!

On Thursday morning, we began a new read aloud, Hank Zipzer:  Niagra Falls, Or Does It?.  Written by Henry Winkler (aka The Fonz), it's a story based on his own challenges as a student who struggled with reading, writing, and spelling.  We only read three chapters so far, but the main character Hank is already revealing his troubles in school, and how he uses a knack for "entertaining" to cover for his struggles.  Lots of giggles with this one!

Later, it was chilly and wet outside so we enjoyed a game of pool noodle volleyball.  Our guys really enjoy this.  It's fun to watch them!

It was National Grain Free Day on Thursday, but we modified it to Gluten Free Day in honor of our friend, Xavier.  He must follow a gluten (and dairy) free diet, and there are so many things we prepare that he misses out on.  We keep gluten-free cookies on hand for when we have baked treats, but he doesn't get pizza, pasta, or ice cream.  So, we wanted to show him some gluten-free love!

We sought volunteers to put together a stir-fry of veggies and chicken.  Bo, Sam, and Dev accepted the challenge.  Following a simple recipe, they tossed together chicken we had cooked earlier, with frozen veggies.  Good work, guys!

We also added the mustard greens we picked at the Botanical Garden on Tuesday.  It's kind of hard to spot in the mix, but it's in there.  We also had rice, which Xavier can eat!  As usual, it was a very tasty dish!

One of our continuing education lessons involved watching a "Mystery Doug" episode that answered the question:  Why do cats purr?  For a follow up, we tried to think of words that began with the letters that spell "cat" - C, A, T.  First we brainstormed a few words...Chris was excited by this list!

This group grabbed a couple of old-fashioned dictionaries and found even more "cat" words!  One of them was "catbird" which prompted Liz to search for that on her phone.  Since we enjoy birdwatching, they wanted to find out what a catbird looked like!  Oh, the joys of watching our guys getting smarter with both old-fashioned tools and 21st century ones!

🎂 Finally, we made lovely birthday cards for our executive director, Pam, whose birthday is Sunday.  Happy Birthday, Pam, from your favorite day support program, the Arc of Abilities! 🎈

Ever since Mr. Stutt played Foosball with some of our guys last week, there has been a resurgence in their interest in playing!  Here, Dev and Sam enjoy a game in the foyer after arriving at the center and waiting for our day to begin!

We ended our "regular" week with an Eaton work day.  It's been a while since we worked on PowerSlide Doors, so we were excited to see boxes of them ready for us to assemble!  Xavier, Kevin, Patrick, and Cameron worked so well together adding the screws.

Sam unpacked and Liz added the window piece.

Chloe and Alexis enjoy the labeling job.  They yak a lot, but make sure to focus on the proper placement of the labels!

We had hundreds of parts that needed to be sorted today.  Devin and Laura worked diligently on this job!

We also had hundreds of parts that needed to be unpacked.  Kacie got right to work on one set, while Chris unloaded a cart full of another set!

Dev unpacked and counted these parts, making sure to put 25 in each box.  He got 250 done by lunch time!

Alexis carefully placed boxes of unpacked light bulbs into this cart.  In the background, Liz and Nan got more light bulbs ready to unpack.

We were happy to welcome Becky back this week!  She also helped with the unpacking of hundreds of light bulbs!

After completing work in the big room with their friends, these guys went over to the warehouse to help James.  He had amp breakers for them to unpack, which they did with great efficiency.

They love watching James buzz around on the forklift, and they imitate the backup sounds it makes.  They wish they could drive it, but had to settle for a picture instead.  Our very own Fab Four!

We definitely earned a treat after our super productive work day.  We sat in a different area of Wendy's this time, breaking into small groups and having conversations about our day.

Here's to you, Nina!  Thanks for treating us to Frosties!!

Yes, it was just a "regular" week, but we made it a great one!  We're excited about the week to come, as it is packed full of celebrations (and a bittersweet farewell)... Here's the scoop:

Tuesday:  We're going bowling again this week, and for a special reason.  It's Chris's birthday AND it's his last week with the Arc of Abilities. 😪 His family is retiring to Florida 😎 and we are going to miss him.  But today, we'll celebrate him!  Pizza and apples for lunch, courtesy of Chris's family...and birthday cupcakes, too!  Wear your Arc shirts!  Weather forecast looks promising for a walk, too!

Wednesday:  According to the National Day Calendar, it's Polar Bear Day!  We will see what we can learn about them, and we'll also celebrate Fairy Tale Day, which was yesterday.  If you have a favorite fairy tale book, bring it in!  We'll also have Yoga w/ Patti, so dress to stretch!  AND, it's Patti's birthday, so we will surprise her with a treat, too!  Lunch on your own.

Thursday:  It's the last day of February, and Chris's last day, so we will make it special for him by sharing our favorite memories and making cards for him.  It's also Chili Day and we are lucky to have Traditional Chili and Cinncinati Chili for lunch!  Thank you to Liz's mom for treating us to her homemade traditional chili.  Here at the center we'll make Cinncinati Chili because it contains several spices that our MGs taught us about.  Having two kinds of chili should make for a fun taste test!

Friday:  Somehow, March is here, so we will design and create our March calendar.  Since it's Peanut Butter Lovers Day (not to be confused with Peanut Butter Day which we celebrated on January 24th 😜), we will have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch.  It's also time for another birthday celebration for Drew! Expect surprises!

SAVE THE DATE:

🎂🎈🎉 Our Arc of Abilities day support program will celebrate its 3rd anniversary on March 16!  We think this is a perfect time to have a family dinner meeting.  While most of you have been with us from the beginning, we have a few new families who haven't met everyone.  What better time to get to know them than during an anniversary celebration?!  Please make plans to join us on Thursday, March 14th.  We're still working on a location, and should have an announcement next week! 🎂🎈🎉