Karate, new belts, and concerns

In the beginning of the Summer, we signed both children up for Karate as a very wonderful local instruction facility had a special going. It was a very good special IMO ($79.00 for 7 weeks and it included the uniform). You could go as many times as you wished during the week as the classes were offered 6 days/ week and several times during each day. Let me tell you we took full advantage of the special :) and both John and Elizabeth have now gotten the next belt. John got an Orange belt, and Elizabeth has gotten her Orange stripe on her white belt!

At first, Elizabeth would grace the Karate floor with ballet moves in her uniform, but quickly acclimated and is now is a force to be reckoned with in a dark alley :) ... In all seriousness, they are teaching the children self defense, and safety along with the usual Karate skills. If a child doesn't respond correctly during the class drill, that child will be drilled over and over during class until they 'understand' and get it correct.

John was also invited to join a leadership class in the Karate school, and this is where students not only learn physical skills, but also work on team effort, public speaking, respect for others, etc..

As this school year gets off to a full swing, I also look at what we have on our schedule. It is so full I'm almost embarrassed to list all the activities. In many ways I think it's good to keep our children busy, but I'm also learning the hard way about the stress it puts on daily life. We seem to always be rushing somewhere. Can we keep it up? I don't know. We'll see.