What a Waste

After our fantastic vacation this past weekend, during which time there was precious little TV or other distractions, thus leaving plenty of time to have FUN as a family, I just couldn't bare the thought of spending this Saturday at home, bored, and listening to the kids TV in the background. I wanted to get out and go have MORE FUN! Life is just waiting to be enjoyed, and I didn't want to waste a minute today. So I told the kids to get dressed, because we were packing a picnic and heading to a local park.

This particular park isn't your typical swing and slide kind of place. It only has walking trails and two large ponds to look at. So why did I choose this place to spend my Saturday? Well.....

A few days ago, I broke the news to the kids that our end of the summer beach trip appeared to be on hold indefinitely. Because of the oil spill in the Gulf, all the beaches within a reasonable driving distance will probably be completely ruined. Which REALLY STINKS, considering I've been planning this trip for several months now. Anyways, the kids seemed a little disappointed, but mostly, the wheels in their heads began to turn, and they started asking questions about oil, drilling, spills, and lots of other things that I had no answers to!

BINGO! Homeschooling at its finest! This next week, we are starting our next unit study, and it will be on, of course, the oil spill in the Gulf and oil spills and drilling, in general. Also, we'll be talking about wetlands and how they are so vitally important to our world, our food supply, our economy, and numerous other things! And a few days ago, my friend, Jennifer, sent out a link to a web site that has LOTS of really cool ideas and activities to go along with our study. We will be doing most all of the activities. To find the activities, go here - National Wildlife Federation. One of the ideas was to visit a wetland to see what one actually looks like and what goes on in that place.

This is why I picked this particular park for our fun day today. This park is a great example of a wetland. And so we began our day.

We visited Restoration Park, which is a relatively new park near our house. 

The sign at the entrance to the park tells a little about its beginnings. In short, it says that, for over 50 years, it was the site of a major sand and gravel mining operation. But after it had been "mined out," people in the area began to use the area to illegally dump all manner of waste. This happened for roughly 10 years, at which time, the city bought the land to clean it up and develop it into what it is today. The city took great efforts to clean up the waste that had been dumped years before, and did a pretty good job of it! But every time there is a hard rain, the water washes away more dirt, and more waste from years past is again uncovered. 

I thought that was a pretty interesting story of this place's beginnings. It was kind of cool to actually know from where this great park that I was about to hike through came. We set off on our hike, fully expecting to see a beautiful wetland in all its glory.

 

 Baby girl, who is now about 19 months old, just would not be held! She wanted to walk by herself. I was thankful they had made such nice gravel walkways! She stopped along the way and looked at some of the leaves. Had to keep an eye on her, though, because there was poison ivy everywhere! Didn't want her rubbing up on any of that!!

She did agree to hold daddy's hand some, though.

Britches and I let the others run on ahead of us, while we took our time and enjoyed looking at everything. 

We stopped to smell the honeysuckles. And boy do they smell good right now!!

She stopped to check out the blackberries growing along the trail, and we thought we should probably make another trip to the park in a few weeks to pick all those yummy berries! (Probably get in trouble for that, I know!)

We looked out over the lovely little bridge, only to realize that, true to a wetlands character, it was only a little water and a lot of saturated sand! But we could still see some minnows in the shallow water. 

We finally caught up with everyone. Apparently, we were going too slow for them. I prefer to think that they were just going too fast for us!

Little Sister found some beautiful purple wildflowers, and she just had to stop and smell them! 

Baby Girl, hard as she tried, just could not keep up with us, so she got a ride from daddy! Fun, fun!!

My Little Man, found a great pine cone, and he said, "You know, I think I could take this home and sketch it!" And so, he brought it home to sketch!

We saw lots of wetland vegetation, like this fern. Wetland vegetation is any kind of plant that can adapt to growing in water, mud, or dry ground. A wetland can be any of those things at different times of the year, so plants have to adjust. It's cool that God made each one of them exactly how they needed to be in order to survive the ecosystem in which they live. 

Baby Girl was absolutely fascinated with the gravel on the walking trail. She would not stop playing in it, and we finally just had to pick her up so we could move on!

Britches and Little Man were really excited and wanted me to come and see what they had discovered. What they had found was...

...a lily pond!! A few years ago, we learned about Claude Monet and how he had a lily pond near his home that he just loved to paint. Ever since then, we have always thought what a cool thing that would be to really see a lily pond to know and understand why Monet would want to devote much of his paintings to it. Well, let me tell you, it was beautiful!

The flowers were white with yellow centers. Somewhere in the pond, we could hear a bullfrog.

And as we looked down in the shallow water, we saw tadpoles swimming around.

Brient even spotted a fish swimming. (I know, it's hard to see. But he's in there!)

Baby Girl was completely thrilled! She loved looking at the fish! She really could see it, because it was swimming right up to the surface of the water. She laughed every time she saw it.

There is a gazebo overlooking and a bridge crossing the lily pond. 

On the other side of the park is another pond. There are no lilies in this pond, but there are lots of other plants that live here. It was just as beautiful as the other pond. 

The park was absolutely beautiful! And we loved hiking the trails. But one thing that I noticed along the way, nearly everywhere you looked, you could see waste! There were old tires and rusty metal from years past. And there were plastic bottles from people today. 

We originally came to the park to learn a little more about our wetlands. But as we made our way along the trail, and as we saw more and more waste that the rain had, over time, exposed, my focus changed. We then began to talk about stewardship of our Earth. What we took away from our trip today was that what you do today WILL have an impact on the people of tomorrow. People illegally dumped waste on this land back in the 1970's. But what they did 40 years ago is now affecting this park today. If you take care of the land you have, it will be good land for your children and grand-children.  If you pollute the Earth, it will be a dirty mess for years to come that someone else will be left to deal with. You cannot only think about yourself and today. You must think about tomorrow and the people who will come after you in years to come. 

Near the end of the trail is a large Blue Heron. We went to check him out! Brient and the kids have one leg up, like the bird!

Baby Girl climbed on his legs.

Little Sister, being the jealous thing she is, had to have a turn climbing on his legs.

And then, there was a fight over who got to sit on his legs again. 

And we ended our adventure with a baby crying because she was having fun and didn't want to go home. My kind of day!

A couple of things I learned today. I can't sit around waiting on fun things to happen, but I need to go out and DO fun things! Wetlands are truly amazing places, and our country would not be the same without them. Which is why this oil spill is so devastating. And the last thing - everything I do in this life, no matter how small, WILL have an effect on those who come behind me. I don't want my great-grandchildren to have to clean up the waste that I leave behind. I must take care of the Earth I have been given.

Vacation Time - FINALLY!!

It's been right at two years since our family has been on a vacation, and we all needed to get away for a little while. So in January, I started saving up and planning! And this last week was the big trip! Our plans: Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO.

The plan was to leave last Friday morning, but we just couldn't stand it any longer. We were all packed and ready to go, so we set out on Thursday night! Our first stop was at my parents house where we dropped off the baby!

She was so excited to see her grandma, that she didn't even seem to care that we all left! She smiled and waved bye to us as she played on the tire swing. So off we went.

We drove about half way that night. At one point, we stopped at a Wal-Mart to take a break and stretch our legs. Brient took the kids to the toy section, of course, and Little Sister found the exact thing she had been asking for but I couldn't find! So she got it!! And she was SO excited! 

That toy was good for several hours of entertainment over the whole trip! Well worth buying!

We stopped in Little Rock, AR. After some sleep and breakfast at the hotel, we started out again. Little Sister, who is 4, had the hardest time. She just could not understand the time thing, and she was so ready to be there. (But thankfully, we had DVD players and a new toy!) Not too far down the road, though, was Pickles Gap Village, a small shopping place with all kinds of things to look at and shop for. AND, they had a kiddie area with a petting zoo where the kids could play!

Yes, I know I have more pictures of Little Sister than the other 2! They had gone into one of the shops with their daddy, and I took just her to play. She didn't care a thing about shopping! After having a fabulous lunch at the country store in the village, we were on the road again.

That evening, we finally drove into our hotel, The Grand Country Inn, and got our room. After we ate, we all got changed into our swimsuits and headed next door to their indoor water park! We all needed something fun to do after such a long drive. That water park was absolutely amazing! It was HUGE, and all 3 kids ran all over that place playing! There was a lazy river, 2 huge slides, a huge jungle gym like set-up complete with water traps to soak unsuspecting people walking beneath you, a great kiddie area for Little Sister (though she didn't want to stay there, because she wanted to go to the "big" stuff), and even 2 hot tubs. It was great, and a wonderful way to end a long trip!! 

The next morning, after a great buffet breakfast at the hotel, we headed to Silver Dollar City. It was threatening rain, but we decided to give it a shot anyway. We had come too far not to at least try to go! It was well worth it! The rain held off, and we all had a blast!

We rode lots of rides. Little Man decided he wanted to ride all the BIG rides! So his daddy got to take him to do those while the girls and I had some fun on the smaller rides. But Little Man and Little Sister, along with their daddy, rode the swing 4 times! CRAZY! 

Little Man had agreed to ride with Little Sister on some of her rides, and she had a BLAST!! But he was none too thrilled when I took a picture of him on the "baby ride"!

Here's my honey watching Little Sister and Little Man riding another "baby ride"! 

Little Sister and Britches went with me (while daddy and Little Man were being scared out of their minds!) to see the water wheel and walk across the swinging bridge. 

Since my honey is a cell phone technician, he wanted his picture by the "Wireless Telegraph" booth! That was cool!

When we stopped for lunch, which was a wonderful bowl of succotash, we sat and watched a magic show right outside the magic shop. The kids LOVED that! The guy was so good and FUNNY! After the show, we went in the magic shop, and Little Man bought a few things. He is so crazy! He bought some soap that, when you wash with it, it washes you DIRTY! And then he bought the classic "can of nuts" that, when you open it, has a big spring snake that pops out! He asked the guy to staple the bag shut, so I wouldn't see what he bought, because he wanted to trick me later. And he did! And he got the biggest laugh out of his new gags when he tricked me!

We saw several craftsmen in their shops actually doing their craft. This was a wood lathe shop, and the men were just getting started on a project. We also watched a man blowing glass, a blacksmith making a rose out of metal, and a potter throwing her pottery. At the pottery shop, I bought a special gift for my sweet mother to thank her for keeping my littlest one. I picked a beautiful bluish colored casserole dish with a lid. And then I got myself two bluish pie plates and a serving stand that holds both. 

We also went to a leather shop, where Brient bought a handmade leather hat. The lady signed her name on the inside! COOL! We didn't get to see her making it, but it was still cool knowing it wasn't made in a factory somewhere. It looks so good on him, and he loves it! 

In another section of the park, there was a HUGE jungle gym! Brient took them up to play for nearly an hour to play. There was a big cage of balls, and Little Sister was trying to get them but just couldn't quite reach. So Brient finally just picked her up and put her in. She loved it!!!

Apparently, my preacher, Ray Jones, has a toll bridge in Silver Dollar City. I think we still owe him .20 for crossing. Britches asked me, "Does Bro. Ray REALLY own that bridge?" "No." "But it has his last name on it!" HA!

At 9:30 that night, we finally headed out and made our way back to the hotel. We had been there since 10:00AM. When we got there, we all crashed!

But the next morning, we got up and got ready to do it all again! First stop, the hotel buffet breakfast!

Happy kids after a good breakfast! 

We went back to Silver Dollar City Sunday morning to finish up a little shopping and to see anything we missed the day before. The plan was to stay for only a few hours, but we stayed from 10:00AM until 5:30PM! They closed that day at 6:00! 

One of the things we did that second day was take a tour of the cave. The cave is the thing that first started Silver Dollar City! And it was HUGE! And long, and steep, and wet - and GORGEOUS! The kids LOVED looking at all the stalactites and stalagmites!

Deep in the cave was an amazing waterfall! It was HUGE! And there were lights that had been put behind it, so it changed colors and was just beautiful. Had their not been any lights, you couldn't have seen it completely and would have missed some of the beauty. I am very thankful for modern advancements that allow me to take a tour of a cave that is well lit and has stairs! Oh yeah, and a train that takes you out at the other end, so I didn't have to walk back out the long, steep way that I came in!

We went back to our hotel that night, and after supper in our room, decided to head over to the indoor pool - not the water park. We needed something fun, but a little more relaxing. The kids played for about 2 hours before heading back and getting cleaned up for bed. 

Monday morning was our day to leave. So after check out, we headed over to the main building at the hotel. I had some homemade fudge to buy!!

My plan was just to buy some fudge, but when we got there, she was starting up a new batch of homemade fudge. So we all stood for awhile and watched her. When she makes fudge, she makes 20 pounds at a time! And it is SOOOO good! (Yes, I bought some to bring home!)

We still had free tickets to play mini-golf (it came with our hotel package), so before heading out, we went over to the mini-golf course. Brient and I haven't played mini-golf in years, and the kids had great fun!

Our fun in Branson was done, and now we were heading South. But just a few hours down the road, Brient took a detour! He pulled in to the road that leads to the Little Buffalo River! We all got out and waded out a little to enjoy the cool water on our tired feet. But after awhile, the kids started collecting stones. And then they started getting WET! And before you know it, they were all three soaked! 

Britches and Little Man decided they were going to build a dam and slow down all the water in the Little Buffalo River. Hmmm... Go for it! They all three got to work, and pretty soon, daddy was even in on the building! When they finished, they had actually raised the water level behind the dam by a few inches! That was a cool project and observation! Very cool!!

I thought at first that they would get board, but after about 45 minutes, I realized they were nowhere near getting ready to leave! So I gave up and just sat down! The water was running so fast, it was like a massage for my feet! If the water hadn't been so cold, I probably would have just laid down and had my neck massaged, too!

Me and my sweet Little Sister! She is so FUN!

Here is their finished project!

The sun was going down, and it was nearly supper time, so we finally got out of the river, dried off and swapped clothes (yes, outside!), and started out again - south - to find something to eat and a hotel. 

On the way home, we had planned to go by way of Hot Springs, AR. The kids wanted to go up the tower which is on top of a mountain. So we got a hotel nearby that evening, and crashed. 

Early the next morning, we packed up (again) and headed about 30 minutes up the road to Hot Springs. When we got to the mountain, Brient asked the kids, "Who wants to hike up the mountain?" In truth, he was kidding and had no intention of hiking. He was driving! But all the kids yelled, "ME!" So I jumped out with them, and we started on our hike. It took a little longer than I thought (about 30 minutes) and it was a little further than I imagined (long, winding trail, instead of straight up), but WE DID IT! And Brient met us at the top with snacks and water! We went up the tower and looked out all around at the beauty of Arkansas! When we came back down, we drove a few blocks in to town to take a look around. 

We took a free tour of an old bath house, which was completely cool! This is the really cool statue that they had on the men's side of the bath house. The women didn't have anything this nice on their side. Completely unfair, but normal for those times! It was an absolutely amazing tour, and completely worth the time to go through it! 

Then we headed behind the bath house to see a real hot spring that is coming out of the mountain! And boy was it HOT! Way hotter than any bath water or sink water I have! And it was all natural. That was cool!

After all that hiking, we were starving! So we ate at Bubbalu's hamburger joint in Hot Springs. It was so delicious! When lunch was finished, we loaded up and headed for home. Little Sister was so tired from all the walking, she slept for about 3 hours! Very nice! And the 2 older ones read and played quietly and watched DVD's. We stopped off at a Pizza Hut for supper, and ate on the way. 

We drove up in my parents driveway at about 7:30PM, grabbed the baby, and took off for home. When we got there at 8:00, we were all exhausted, and we were ALL glad to be home. 

This was probably the busiest jam packed vacation we have ever attempted with three kids. But everyone had such fun! It was all so very worth it!

A Time for Change

Ever since Britches was about 3 years old, we have been homeschooling. At the time, I didn't know I would continue to homeschool. We were just playing and learning together. And when Little Man got a little older, we included him in the fun. When they hit school age, Brient and I decided we were going to keep them home and school them. So my children have never been to public school - ever.

One of the reasons I chose to homeschool is because I wanted to be my children's one and only teacher. I didn't want anyone else to take that fun from me, and I didn't want any outside influences coming in and messing up what took me years to instill in my kids. So it has always been just me and them.

OK, well, there was the time when I teamed up with my 2 friends, Kayla and Angela, and we had a small co-op going. Each week, one of us would plan a lesson and teach it to all the kids. The next week, someone else would do it. And we rotated whose house we went to. It was so much fun! But all the while, I was right there with my children overseeing everything they were being taught. After awhile, our little co-op came to an end, because life moved us on and we all went different ways. And so, it was back to me being my children's one and only teacher.

A few years ago, the homeschool group of which I am a member, The Christian Homeschool Association, started up a large co-op. It was to be at a central location so that anyone in our homeschool group could participate. There were people from all over coming and joining in on the new co-op, and everyone was so thrilled to be a part. But I stood back a little skeptical, because these were people that I didn't know well or even at all. My idea of homeschooling has always been to teach my own children. I didn't want a public school teacher or some other homeschool mom that I didn't know teaching my children. So I watched as everyone signed up and got involved, and I continued schooling in the way I had chosen.

After a few years, and another baby, I began to feel a little overwhelmed. I not only had 2 older ones that I was still trying to homeschool, but I now had a baby who cried A LOT and a 3 year old who thought the world revolved around her and that everyone in our house should drop everything and play with her whenever she took the notion. I was, shall we say, a little STRESSED! I just couldn't keep up with all that I wanted to do in school with the oldest and also handle these other 2 distractions. (Yeah, I know - BLESSINGS. Whatever!)

One day, the thought of co-op popped back into my head. I began tossing around the idea, but not seriously. There were still a lot of issues that I had with co-op. One was simply the drive once a week to the co-op location. I can barely get 4 kids dressed and ready for church every Sunday, and it doesn't start until 10:45! How could I possibly get them all the way to town by 9:00? And the other issue was still my original problem - I wanted to be the one teaching my children!! I didn't know these people. But I got on the phone with my friend, Kayla, and got a little more information.

One thing she told me was that, while the 2 oldest were in a class learning, the baby would be in the nursery and the 3 year old would be in a class of her own with friends her age. She would be learning on her level, and she would be able to play ALL DAY with kids her own age. WOW! Someone else could play with Little Sister while the other 2 actually LEARNED something! What a thought. Right at that moment, I didn't feel like Britches and Little Man were learning ANYTHING, because we were constantly getting interrupted by something or someone. So I kept thinking.

Two weeks ago, the co-op held an open house day, which is where anyone thinking of participating in co-op can come, check everything out, and ask questions. We went. I wanted to get a good idea of what was going on, so I could make a good decision about whether or not we would participate.

Getting there on time was a little crazy, and we did pack lunches and have everything ready the night before. But we made it. Right after chapel, we dropped Little Sister off in her class. She was so excited, she could hardly stand it! The rest of us then started making the rounds to check out all that was offered. One thing I realized was that, over the last year or so, I have actually met a lot more people than I realized. I knew most everyone that was there teaching! And I knew them well enough that I felt OK about my kids being in a class with them without me! We sat in on several classes to get an idea of the things being taught and the different styles of teaching from each teacher.

When lunch rolled around, we went outside for a picnic, and the kids had a blast visiting and running around with other homeschool friends that we don't often get to see. And I really enjoyed having some time to talk with ADULTS!!! And besides that, I just love a good picnic!

One of the highlights of the day for Britches was when we passed by Donna's cake decorating class. She said, "Oh I wish I could go check out THAT class!" So we went in. And Donna was so sweet to let her participate!! She handed out 6"-8" cakes for all the people in the class, and she had an extra cake that she was planning on using for an example. She let Britches use it! How exciting!! We spent the next 45 min. with her learning how to make a cake that looked like the beach, complete with beach ball and lounge chair! And boy was she proud when she brought it home to show her daddy!

And the highlight for Little Man was at the end of the day when he was able to participate in Penny's "Boys" class. On that particular day, the boys were learning self defense! And, boy, is that right up his alley! So he spent the 45 min. class learning how to defend himself should a stranger try to snatch him up and take him away. When he got home, he asked his daddy if he could go outside with him so Little Man could show him the new moves he learned. His daddy, very wisely, said, "NO!"

And Little Sister played for the entire day with her friends, some old ones and some new. She made crafts, read books, and had her snack in the gym with the other kids. (She helped pack her snack the day before, and could hardly wait to eat it!!)

By the end of the day, we were all worn out! But it was a great day, and I learned a lot of things I wouldn't have otherwise known. One of the things I learned is that I now feel OK in letting some of my friends teach my children. I can say this now that I have known these ladies for awhile and know them better! I also learned that co-op is very flexible. If I am unable to make the 9:00 chapel time, it's OK. They won't be mad at me. I can get there at 9:30. And for anyone not able to stay all day, you can go for only half the day. I had no idea that it was so flexible.

So for the next few days, Brient and I weighed out all the pros and cons, and ultimately, we decided to give it a try. My kids are so excited and just cannot wait until the fall when co-op starts up again!

One of the rules at co-op is that everyone must help out. No one is allowed to drop their kids off and leave, so everyone is doing "something" during every hour you are there. Well, being that I LOVE to plan fun lessons and LOVE to teach fun things to kids, and being that I am very opinionated and have my own way of doing things, I decided to jump right in feet first and teach! I volunteered to teach 2 classes: an American Girls class to 3rd-6th graders, and a "Big Book of Boys" class (Penny decided not to teach it again.). I am so stinkin' excited about BOTH classes!

The more I think about the road we have decided to take this next year, the more excited I get! I will still get to teach both of my oldest children in separate classes. I always want to do a "girl" lesson with Britches, but I still have 3 others to think about. And I would LOVE to do "boy" stuff with my Little Man, but the girls wouldn't enjoy it much. So now, I will have 45 min. a week set aside to teach each of them something I have wanted to teach for a very long time. And instead of it being just us, I get to include lots of other kids who would love to do "girl" and "boy" stuff, but their parents maybe are in the same position as I and are unable. And the best part of all - the 2 little ones will be having LOADS of fun in their own class with kids their own age, and they won't be underfoot while I'm teaching to the others. I am so excited!

Now I realize that it will not be all great. There will come a time next year when I just really don't want to get up on co-op morning and get out of the house! There will be a week when I just cannot get it together and my lesson just won't be quite what I had hoped. There will be a cranky baby to deal with when we get home each day. And then, since co-op is on Wednesday, there is the issue of an early supper so we can get to church on time. But all in all, I am very optimistic about this next school year. We will still do lots of great unit studies at home together, but we will have one day a week that will be a nice change from it all.

This is my year for change - in many areas of my life. And in the area of our homeschool, it is time for a change.

Lenny the Lion Video Contest

A few weeks ago, Medtronic, the company that manufactures Little Man's insulin pump, sent out an e-mail announcing a contest that they were holding to introduce their new spokesperson - or should I say "spokes-lion". The company wanted a kid-friendly character to help teach kids about diabetes and insulin pump therapy, and they were doing this in the form of "Lenny the Lion." So the contest was a way to introduce Lenny to kids who have diabetes and use or were thinking of using an insulin pump. The rules said to make a video of yourself and Lenny the Lion, and send it in to Medtronic. They would then take all the videos received and make a short list. That list of videos would then be posted to youtube for everyone to see and vote for, which would then decide the winner.

And I am so stinkin' excited to tell you that WE MADE THE SHORT LIST!! Our video is now on youtube, along with 17 other videos that made the list. Now, we need your help!! We need votes! Please visit the youtube link and watch our video. Click on the "I Like" thumbs up button below the video. (It will turn green.) Once you do that, you have voted!

By voting for our video, or any of the other great videos for that matter, you are doing a couple of things. First, you are encouraging some great kids who worked REALLY hard to make video that will, in turn, be used to help other kids with diabetes better understand this disease and be able to make a more informed decision about using an insulin pump. And second, you will be helping someone to win a great trip to Disneyland in California!! So please vote!!

And if you'd like to help further, please consider posting the link to your blog, facebook page, twitter, e-mail, or anywhere else, and encourage others to vote, too. Voting will last until April 30, and the winner will be announced on May 5. So there are still a few weeks left to vote. You can vote daily, so don't forget to come back and vote again.

Thank you so much for your help! Britches and Little Man worked very hard on this, and, whether we win or not, I am so absolutely proud of them!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvnl6u3j7Q4