Five Winds Family

Well, fooie

2010-03-28T17:36:00.000-07:00

I had to rename this post, lest anyone take me literally. This is a picture of a bathroom wall with missing tile, drywall and backing. *sigh* I wanted to redo it anyway, really.

Really.

I'd trust him!

2010-03-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

Teddybear Picnic

2010-03-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when your big sister loves stuffed animals.

Dennis Honored by Pizza Hut & By Felix ... all in the same night!

2010-03-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

The President of Pizza Hut - of the whole chain, not just in Iowa or the franchise our store belongs to - stopped by yesterday and honored Dennis for doing such a great job! I just hope they weren't counting on picking up any insider secrets. The key to the store's success ... is Dennis. Sorry, folks. You can't duplicate badass. :p

You can't duplicate daddy time either. As soon as he got home, Felix cuddled up on his lap and - for the first time ever! - started playing Peek-a-Boo with someone! It was so adorable! Unfortunately I was not ready to use my video camera in the dark, and the footage is not the greatest. If I can manage to clean it up, I'm definitely posting it!

Strata is really getting the hang of this

2010-03-19T13:30:00.001-07:00

Yeh, she totally kicked my butt.

And cue the snow!

2010-03-19T09:56:00.001-07:00

Ha! I didn't know that it would be over as soon as all that! Goodbye 60 degrees, hello flurries.

First Slug of the Season

2010-03-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Can't see him very well. It's a cell phone pic, but you can kind of see his little antenna sticking to Strata's thumbnail. She was so happy to find him. Found two earthworms too, but as she said, they ran away back into the ground. heh

We've been having high 50-low 60 degree weather here. It's so nice after such a cold and snowy winter. But I'm not quite convinced it's all over.

Hoping for a good spring for everyone...

Learning Othello

2010-03-16T10:04:00.000-07:00

Dennis tried to introduce me to Othello a few years ago, but we had so much going on at the time that it never really caught on. We tried again a few years later, but for some reason the kids lost the pieces before I tried it out. Third time's the charm, right?

The kids - Lian, especially - have really taken a liking to this game. While I haven't played Dennis yet, I have had a few rounds with Lian and Strata. Mentally, it's a pretty good workout.

And no, that photo was not set-up. It's the real result from Nate and Strata's first game:
a tie!

Learn more about the Othello board game here.

Good game!

2010-02-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

We had a great game of Uno this morning.

Lian 9+7=16

Mommy 3+3+15=21

Strata 20+9+7+3+1+1=41

Nate 0

Lian made it through without cheating, but wanted a rematch. Just with me. He dealt the cards. And eventually won by putting his hand down and playing a red 8 on a yellow 3. lol Sometimes a kid just wants to win.

Lian Turns 8 Years Old!

2010-01-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

Our wonderful little boy, Lian, turns 8 today. For his birthday, he wanted Left 4 Dead 2, Mortal Kombat Trilogy and a bike. He also wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese, but the weather got in our way. Last year, there was a snowstorm on his birthday too, but we were able to drive through it. This year? The roads were just a little too bad to make it to Des Moines. Instead, he wanted to play games all day and get a McFlurry.

Done and done. :)

Updated with the cake...

Every year, Dennis decorates the kids' cakes, and they seem to get progressively more complicated each time. Last year, Lian wanted Spongebob. This year? A jockey zombie from Left 4 Dead 2. Creepy ... but he did a wonderful job. :)

2 month check-up

2009-10-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

Weight: 11.4 lbs
Length: 24 inches, on the nose!

Mr. Felix is growing right on schedule. He's happy, healthy and got rave reviews from the doctor. And just look at that amazing picture daddy got of the baby. :)

Home Improvements

2009-10-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

Very happy to report that upon pulling up Lian's stained old white carpet, I found beautiful hardwood underneath. That makes me very optimistic about the rest of the house. Hopefully by the end of tonight, I'll have Lian and Strata's rooms cleaned out, along with the foyer and new blinds up. Dennis put one up before he went to work, and it looks really nice. :)

Dental Care Without Insurance in Fort Dodge Iowa

2009-10-17T23:40:00.000-07:00

I just read about this, and thought it might help some of you out. If not, you may find the opportunity to pass the word along. :)

The main campus of Iowa Central Community College is in Fort Dodge, and they now have a dental hygienists program. To help train their students, they offer discounted services. I haven't personally used the program, but it might be a good alternative for someone without dental insurance.

You can find out more information here: http://tinyurl.com/yfahr4e

You can not get emergency care at Iowa Central, but you can through the University of Iowa's dental clinics in Iowa City. You can also get expanded services there through the dentistry program, including access to pediatric specialists. More info here: http://tinyurl.com/ykkhcyh

Quote from page above:

"Emergencies: An important service provided for our patients is emergency treatment. For pain, swelling, broken teeth, etc., the clinic accepts new or continuing patients every week day (except legal holidays) year round. Call (319) 335-7447. After hours emergency care is available at the University Hospital. Phone (319) 356-1616.

Children: Patients under the age of 16 are seen in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry. Phone (319) 335-7485."

Grunge is Making a Comeback

2009-10-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

Dennis and I talked the other day about how bands of the past - Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, etc - making a comeback, but today it's on me. I. Am. Grungy. Baggy sweats. Concert tee. Crazy hair.

One of the kids picked up a flu bug, and they - all four of them - have been puking regularly. Felix started around 11:30 last night, and I've been too nervous about him choking to get much sleep. I also don't have any clean clothes left so I raided Denn's. They're really, really comfortable, but I have stopped looking like a tired mom and have meandered into bag lady territory. It's kind of fun. I don't think I would mind a return to the '90s.

Mr 8 Weeks Old

2009-10-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

So much to say. So many blanks to fill. So much to do in the meantime.

Super fun and easy origami

2009-09-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

Strata loves art, including folding paper, and in our endeavors to find even more easy projects, we stumbled onto Origami Club.

Bicycle Saga

2009-09-16T06:22:00.000-07:00

Some of you know our son's bike was stolen last weekend. We're in the middle of a major car repair and couldn't replace it. That really bothered him. He loved that bike, took great care of it and rode it several times a day.

In an act of Absolute Greatness! his friend's grandpa fixed up an old boy's bike and delivered it last night! :) It's perfect. All it needs is new pedals, but there are pieces of pedals still on the bike that can be used for now. When he gets up, I'll get a pic of him with his new bike.

Now, to find a way to tell his friend's grandpa thank you ...

Mr. Four Weeks Old

2009-09-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

Felix was four weeks on Sunday.

The baby is sick with his first cold. He's stuffy and hot and uncomfortable. And when he sneezes, there is nothing more adorable in the world. (Does that make me a Benedict Arnold? Poor kid.) Actually, it seems to be pretty okay right now. Hopefully it's almost over. :)

Couch Freak

2009-09-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

After almost a month of being at home, we looked over the weather, the location and activities and decided to brave the big wide world with our new baby. He'll be a month old tomorrow, and the Couch Freak Boogie gave the other kids a chance to see something really cool while being in the open with not too many other people. Unfortunately one of those people was a baby hater. :<

The minute we got to the bleachers (roughly 30 people on 3 sets of bleachers, so not in any way crowded) this guy starts talking about parents who should keep their young babies at home "where they belong". I'm not sure if he was worried for the baby, or for his own enjoyment, but what ignorance. I wouldn't have my baby out and about where he wasn't safe, OR if he was miserable enough to cry his head off.

Felix slept the whole time we were there, and the kids saw a few skydivers, plus a few tandem riders, land and gather their parachutes (or bite it and stumble to their feet, in a few cases) before we wrapped up for lunch. We were only there for about 15 minutes.

After that we left (after Strata used the restroom OF COURSE) grabbed some food and headed back out to watch things from a county road. If I had to choose, I'd watch from a distance. You see more of the jumpers, their shenanigans in the air, the parachute colors, how fast they come in or how long they languish. It made me just a bit homesick for my grandmother's where we'd watch them every year. And it got me interested to see the National Balloon Classic in Indianola near the National Balloon Museum. There used to be a balloon festival in Fort Dodge, too, but it's been gone since I was small. It might be something to look up for next year.

This Weekend in Fort Dodge

2009-09-02T03:43:00.001-07:00

Even if you aren't interested in jumping out of a plane (tandem dives start at $210, with extra fees for 230+ lbers and extra fees for things like videos) the Couch Freak Boogie is a really amazing thing to see. 700+ jumpers show off their parachute colors all weekend long in dives that happen every 15 - 30 minutes. Growing up, we had a perfect view of the skydivers from our backyard. Lots of people park along the highway or find spots at public parks to watch from a distance, but the experience is completely different from the bleachers at the airport watching jumpers reach the ground. Parking and admission is free, making this one of the coolest and most affordable events of the season. It runs Thursday through Monday.

Also this weekend is the Dayton Rodeo. Dayton is roughly 30 minutes from FD. We've never been so I can't share our experiences, but along with being a real rodeo with riders from all across the US, there is a carnival, kids' events and entertainers. It's worth checking the website out. Check it out before you tell about the kids about it, for sure. It's kind of spendy.

Sackboy and beyond

2009-09-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

So the day started out with Strata wanting to find a Sackboy plush on eBay. It's a character from Little Big Planet, an extremely fun and creative game for the PS3. The kids recently sold a bunch of video games to buy new things. They did pretty well, too. Nathan bought Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (for $4!) and still has $20-something to spare. Strata sold one game, so she only has around $10 to spend. You'd think that would be enough, at least for a mini. Close, but no cigar.

There are artisans making their own sackboys and selling them for $40 - $50, and official toys from Japan (that are very small) going for $20+. Plus shipping. Ouch. Thanks to one shiesterly seller, we found out about an Alan Dart knitting pattern, free online in PDF, but this person is selling it as a "rare" item for a whopping $29-and-change, plus money for shipping. (And it really is free online. You won't go to prison for downloading it or anything.)

Oh, and here is another free Sackboy pattern, with photos, from Moon's Creations.

Further searching lead to Sunny Shine Creations on ArtFire, who has an even better pattern and is also selling custom-made dolls. She mentioned it's very easy to follow if you've used other amigurumi patterns. At first I thought that was a company name, but amigurumi turned out to be another name for knitted or crocheted dolls in Japanese.

Fifteen minutes and many adorable amigurumis later, we stumbled upon a page I'd seen before on kyaraben (or kayarakuta bento or kyara-ben ... aka character bento). Little lunches made to look like popular characters. It's been a trend in Japan for about ten years, but now they're starting to host contests and things for people who've perfected the art. Even if cooking isn't your thing, it's pretty cool.

And speaking of Sackboy, Strat found a Little Big Planet generator where you can make your own. Here is Lian's mister awesome and here is Strata's sackgirl, sacky.

We did a little knitting last year, but the kids didn't really get into it. They liked having items made just for them, and they enjoyed the finished product, but the doing, eh, not so much. This has excited them about knitting all over again. Just goes to show, you can motivate kids to learn anything if you manage to tap into one of their interests. But more on that later. :)

Mr. 3 Weeks

2009-08-30T16:09:00.001-07:00

Here is Felix with my Aunt Joan.

Today he's 3 weeks old. My cousin's daughter was home visiting, so we decided to meet her and her children at the farm. Unfortunately they were leaving right away. Our daughters got a few minutes to play, but then they ate and left in a hurry.

My aunt, her boyfriend and son were extremely nice though - as usual - and the kids got a chance to pick pears and see baby kittens and bunny rabbits and all kinds of things. They absolutely love the farm, and we've been invited back to pick apples in a little while. We also came home with three big bags of pears, peppers, tomatoes and onions. Yum. It's things like that that make me want to start a fall garden.

Mysteries of the Universe

2009-08-26T05:40:00.000-07:00

Isn't it amazing how ...

Babies only poop when dad's asleep and mom's awake.

Diapers only leak when baby's wearing a nice outfit.

Whenever you've got plans, there's a problem requiring one of you to go to work. :<

Not in the best mood this morning. Dennis has to go in today, all day and he needs his car. This means we aren't going to make it to the NBTS picnic in Des Moines. This also means we won't meet up with our new supervising teacher and swap paperwork, meaning I have to turn in our paperwork and then amend it again this year. I hate doing that! At least I can go to the district building without having to take the baby. And we can amend the paperwork later.

I am feeling very lonely and disconnected this morning, and wishing we were in a more homeschool-friendly area. I'm missing Chicago this morning, and feel the urge to take the kids on the trains and to all the big museums. Maybe take in a Bears game and buy M&Ms from some kids on the sidewalk. Walk through Lincoln Park, hit the zoo and the nature center, and just take everything in. Get out to the Navy Pier.

Instead, I'll clean the house, do laundry, weed the flowerbed, and tackle that annoying paperwork, and maybe check out the Field Museum online. ;)

Two Weeks

2009-08-23T10:41:00.001-07:00

I still can't believe this baby is here, and he's ours and so healthy. He seems to be growing so fast, but yet, not growing at all. Felix stays awake more, and asleep for longer stretches. It seems like he sees more, too.

Why does hair turn gray?

2009-08-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

I have never been one to dye my hair, and I started going gray at age 17. Unfortunately there is a world of difference between having a few streaks in high school and thick swatches of gray by 31. (Especially just after giving birth to your fourth baby, and feeling particularly lumpy and frumpy.)

I ran this situation by the kids who didn't think there was any reason to dye my hair, but it did lead to the question...

"Why does hair turn gray?" asked by our daughter, Strata.

The answer is fairly simple. A piece of hair gets its color from the follicle, the root found in your skin, and as you get older the pigment cells in the follicle die away. It can happen at any time. My grandfather's hair was snow white by the time he was 22 where my mother-in-law is 67 and just started seeing a gray strand here and there.

I still don't know whether or not I'll dye my hair. I've been checking out safer options like organic dyes (which don't seem to work very well) and highlighting/lowlighting. Oh well, we'll see how it all turns out. If I do dye my hair, I'll be sure to post pictures (no matter what the results lol).

Source: KidsHealth

In cards, why are princes called Jacks?

2009-08-19T09:51:00.001-07:00

Today is the first day of school in our district. Our children unschool - meaning they homeschool by exploring their interests vs. following a set curriculum - but this is the first question that sparked our formal school year for 2009-2010:

Nate asked, "In cards, why are princes called Jacks?"

The answer turned out to be pretty surprising. According to the International Playing Card Society, the Jack is not a prince at all, but slang for "male servant" or "commoner". Originally the Jack was called the Knave. To learn more about the changing face of playing cards (or anything related to cards, really) check out their website for more information:

International Playing Card Society

Baby Felix is Here!

2009-08-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

Felix Connell Ferrand was born Sunday, August 9th after about a week of contractions and an hour of hard labor. Very good birthing experience. Very good pregnancy all around, and he couldn't be healthier or more beautiful. Err, Handsome.

We are not exactly cosleeping this time around. He's a week old today, but it's been the rare occasion when Felix has been set down. Dennis only went back to work yesterday, but his schedule keeps him up until morning and then I get up. When our hands are busy, one of the kids cradles Felix until we get done. He's a very lucky baby. Well, save for the noise, and the crazy cats, and the random objects whizzing by way too close to his head from time to time.

Nate, Strat and Lian can't get over how adorable (or boring) the baby turned out to be. I'm very impressed with how they look out for him. They're very interested in talking and singing to, and doing things for Felix - who, we've discovered, loves music. Whether it's The Name Game or Lian playing piano (though he isn't quite in love with Guitar Hero). It'll be very interesting to wait and watch how he grows into his own little person from here, but it's clear that a week out, we are all hooked. :)

Thanks to everyone for the congrats and the well wishes. They worked!

Celebrating 12 Whole Years

2009-06-29T18:15:00.000-07:00

It's our anniversary! Dennis just happened to get a last minute vacation from work, so we decided to take a short trip out of town. Even though I am really big right now, we went to Adventureland in Des Moines. It's a great theme park, and even though I didn't get to ride anything, the kids had a blast. We also got to check out Kokomo Kove (the water is SO COLD) and it is cool, but there were some major downfalls. I'll post about them later. After spending the night, we went to the zoo and to Ames' Reimen Gardens. We're home, and Dennis is busy hunting down the perfect cake to celebrate our big day. Of course, Strata went along to lend her expertise. :) I'll try to get a picture before it gets devoured.

In other news, Lian's stubborn front tooth finally fell out last night. Cool time all around.

Girls, Take Note...

2009-06-28T07:30:00.001-07:00

50% Chance of

2009-06-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

Ever since I knew I was pregnant this time, I thought I was probably having a girl. The pregnancy was in ways like Strata's. But the ultrasound said we were having a boy, even down to getting a take home picture of the baby's privates. Why then am I so paranoid of buying any boy items for fear we'll have a girl? Just stubborn, I guess.

Dog Days of Summer

2009-06-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the heat and humidity already cropping up in Central Iowa. The last few days we've had a lot of walking back and forth - to the park, to the store, to friends' houses - and I am feeling the heat. Thankfully it wasn't so bad this morning, and I plucked all those crazy June weeds, but geez. Will I be up for that a month from now? Time will tell.

Now all I need to do is figure out what to plant there. :P You know? That same thing I was busy doing earlier this year, and parts of last year, too? I think I might fill it all in with glass beads and fish figurines, and pretend we're growing seaweed.

Demonstrating the use of a lever

2009-06-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

Our house used to be a duplex and there is a wacky door upstairs between the stair and the upstairs bedrooms and bathroom. Our youngest managed to latch it when he shut the door tonight, but we couldn't wake him up to come unlock it. (I don't know why I assumed you could unlock it from the outside, but ... just in case you ever run into this situation, you can't.)

It's bad enough that tomorrow is Strata's birthday and we have things planned that are probably going to require a full night's sleep. But then the kids started getting worried, and then I got worried because - really - we banged on the doors, we rang the doorbell (which rings right into this room) we knocked on the windows. And then there's the issue of night terrors that he has sometimes. And fires. And a million other things that could happen where a locked door could mean a really bad situation.

So, I, um, took a shovel and pried the door open. heh.

On tomorrow's list of things to do: Buy Wood Glue :/

Super Spectacular Gaming Sale!

2009-06-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

We're clearing out some of our video games in the hopes of raising some moolah. This is a partial list, but most are Xbox 360 or Xbox titles. Unless otherwise noted, you can assume they are complete and in very good to mint condition. Thanks for looking!

$15 Games
-------------
Grand Theft Auto 4
History Channel's Civil War
History Channel's Battle for the Pacific
Condemned
The Darkness
The Godfather with map
Fight Night Round 3
Quake 4
Splinter Cell Double Agent
Far Cry 2 (corner broken on jewel case)

$10 Games
-------------
Call of Duty 2
Call of Duty 3
Project Gotham Racing 2
Project Gotham Racing 4
Tomb Raider Anniversary
Tomb Raider Legend
Turok
Crackdown
LEGO Indiana Jones/Kung Fu Panda collection
The Simpson's Game
Stuntman Ignition
Lost
Just Cause

$5 Games
-----------
Ridge Racer 6
Madden NFL 08
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Project Gotham Racing 3
Kengo (Xbox)
Medal of Honor European Assault (Xbox)
Forza (chocolate milk stains on paper insert) (Xbox)

SPECIALS
-----------
Grand Theft Auto trilogy (Xbox) - $30

Grant Theft Auto IV Collectors Case, complete with shirt - $50

Shipping for regular games is $3 for one, $1 each additional. If you want insurance, it's an extra $2 per package.

Yikes

2009-06-07T15:03:00.000-07:00

Last night, Lian was so trying. He wound up breaking my cell phone because I poured his Dr Pepper into the wrong cup, then immediately freaked out once he realized what he'd done. It took almost an hour to get him to calm down enough to find out what happened.

Surprisingly, he was very sad he'd done it. Usually he's just sad he's gotten caught, so - even though I have a phone to replace - it's nice to see how much he's maturing.

He woke up this morning sick as could be though, which makes yesterday make a little more sense. I'm thinking maybe Strata didn't have food poisoning earlier. Sure seems like the same thing. Hopefully it will be over as quickly.

Baby goal for this week is setting up the game room as a bedroom. First I have to find space for all the gaming stuff in the other rooms though. About halfway there. (Good thing this house has a lot of room!)

10 Weeks to Baby

2009-06-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

I'm happy, scared and excited. I'm anxious, impatient and feeling unprepared. I know we have all the time that we need, and I'm not sure how we'll get everything done.

30 weeks and 5 days, and so far everything looks fine.

Around the neighborhood is a different matter. One little boy continues to hit Nate whenever he gets the chance, and tonight he fought back. And got sent home. He's inside for the rest of the night, just to give him some space from the other kid.
It gave him a chance to finish his thank you cards, I guess.

I can't wait to finish fixing up the downstairs though. We have (not to brag) one of the coolest houses to hang out at, and I don't want him missing out on time with friends because someone else is being a jerk. I feel bad for the other boy too though. He was bullied for a long time, and it looks like the attitude has rubbed off on him. :( Time to step up the fun factor at our house, I think, and give him a little incentive to want to get along. (Just don't know if I have the patience for this right now. lol)

Nate's 11 Freakin' Years Old

2009-06-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

Birthday gifts: Gears of War 2, and 1600 xbox live gamer points

Party supplies: 3 bags of "water grenades" for Call of Duty 4 party. Jumbo bag of favors, and white cake with white icing.

Unfortunately we're still remodeling so there won't be a sleepover, but I think they'll have fun anyway. :) Weather report says today will be sunny skies and 72 degrees. Sounds just about perfect for running around the park.

Loving Nathan's new room

2009-05-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

For Nate's birthday, we finally moved him to his own room. It's the old upstairs kitchen at the back of the house. I want it. Seriously. He set it up perfectly - so not the way I would have, but it suits his needs to a T.

The bed is backed up to the sink, right below a small window, and there's another window to the side. Beatuful view with great airflow. Room for a TV at the end of the bed ... I'm laying down and posting this on the Wii. lol (And you thought I couldn't get any lazier.)

Strata and I found a great pillow for him at a garage sale. A big microfiber one for 50¢. We also found a complete Hello Kitty bedding set, with curtains, and a giant HK plush pillow for $15. We were planning on redoing her room next so it worked out really well.

Okay, well now I'm going to take a na- I mean, get back to work.

Offline

2009-05-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

We're suffering some technical difficulties and aren't online so much. Thankfully we have a PS3, PSP, and Wii that can get online ... but only the Wii can log into Blogger. lol Not that much going on right now anyway, but it's nice to know that if something ultra amazing were to happen, I could let someone know. :p

Baby Update

2009-05-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

Except for blood pressure a little on the high side, today's appointment went great. The baby is looking, sounding and moving good and all of my tests are coming back A OK. Unfortunately, it was extremely hot yesterday and today. I think I got a little overheated yesterday and I've had a headache ever since. Hopefully Denn will be home early tonight so I can get a little peace and quiet upstairs. :)

PS3 Gripe, and Request

2009-05-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

For those who don't own a PS3, you can connect your system to an online Playstation Network if you have the internet. There you can talk with friends or download new content, like games.

They released a game at the start of the month called Ragdoll Kung Fu. It cost $10 and quite a few people bought it. 2 weeks later, they released it for free ... and my son is really ticked off. He cleaned his aunt's garage to make the money for it, and now he feels ripped off. After contacting customer service, he was told that there are no refunds or credits being offered, and in his opinion (and mine too) that's just bad business sense.

He's asking for people to write the company (http://tinyurl.com/owrc3e) and ask for refunds or credits for those people who bought the game over the last two weeks.

Backwards Day

2009-05-14T14:06:00.001-07:00

I don't know why I do this to myself. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. After getting the kitchen right where I wanted it, I decided this would be a perfect day to make a huge meal, trashing the kitchen in the process. Why? lol

It's been such a nice day though that I can't complain much. Nate helped with the dishes, and Strata not only went outside and picked lilacs for the table, she helped me wash all the windows. (Standing in a shower hosing off a screen is apparently a lot of fun ... just FYI.) We got it back to normal in no time, and then Lian wanted to make puppets.

Okay, so there's a big mess on the table I'm ignoring because it's not hurting anybody, or attracting bugs of any kind, so it can wait until my feet aren't crabbing me out. Whew.

We also finally picked up those Triop dohickeys that Strata has been eying at Hobby Lobby forever. They're like sea monkeys, only shaped like little lobsters. Their water is warming up right now, but tonight we'll add the eggs and in one to three days we should have little crustaceans running around.

Pictures to come. :)

Junk Day!

2009-05-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

Today is Junk Day in our neighborhood - the one day a year when you can put out (almost) absolutely anything and the garbage collectors will take it. It's also the day people put out those things that they'd normally donate ... old lawn chairs, knick knacks, extra planters and laundry baskets, etc.

Dennis really doesn't like the idea of salvaging goods. His dad did that for a living and, for him, it was embarrassing. Our daughter thinks its the next best thing to sliced bread though, so I took her and her older brother out to go scour around. She picked up two bird houses, a butterfly house, and a stuffed animal for her younger brother who didn't feel like coming. She wants to go out later again, just in case people don't put things out until the very end.

We're putting out broken things except for a toddler-sized skateboard that we've had for probably ten years, but no one (that I can recall) has ever liked using. Hopefully someone will stop and pick it up, but if not ... the garbage man cometh.

Ultrasound

2009-05-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

Due date this morning was August 25th. Now it's August 11th. (We'll see how many times this changes before we are through. lol)

Everything looks fine. Head and body size, spinal column, kidneys, heart, femur length, cord circulation ... all those things you didn't know that mattered, but can be signs of potential problems, look great.

We're most likely having a boy (but as Strata has been stressing ... it could always be wrong. We could still have a girl. )

Return to the Laundromat

2009-05-03T01:44:00.000-07:00

Aargh! Remember that whole "I like to do laundry once a week" post? Yeh, well, one trip to the park and prego bladder weakness has changed that plan ... for this week anyway.

We had a great day at Kennedy Park yesterday. I stopped by my friend, Nate's, initially to pick up his daughter. His wife ended up taking all three kids to the park and we tooled around at the playground and in the woods for about four hours. In addition to the two hours we spent running around their house. Did I mention my feet are so tired? Or that both girls got stuck in the mud up to their shins (losing two pairs of shoes in the mud)? Or that the littlest bug shut his finger in the bathroom door right before we left?

We also found a dinosaur in the water, buried a few kids up to their faces in the sand and saw a bat up-close-and-personal. It was a good day ... but tiresome. I think I'll be happy tomorrow to sit on my butt while a few loads wash after all.

And then we'll get ready for Junk Day.

May Day in Fort Dodge

2009-05-02T00:14:00.001-07:00

Yeh, I'm a wee bit disappointed that we didn't get to some of the May Day events around Iowa, but we wound up having a pretty nice day right here at home. It started out rough though.

First, I found some old man in our dryer feeling a pair of my daughter's underpants. I should probably mention we were at the laundromat. Should also mention we are buying her new undies TOMORROW. He said he was just in the wrong dryer but it was the way he was touching them ... not sorting or folding but rubbing. Very "creep me out".

Then Nathan got into a fight with one of his friends and wound up with a bloody nose. This kid is younger and smaller so he's never hit back, but this is the third time he's hurt him physically. I'm proud of Nathan for reacting in the way he felt was right, but I'm also worried that he doesn't defend himself. He isn't the kind of kid who likes hurting other people, so it's hard for him. For now he's decided to ignore his friend if he can't be nice to him. Seems like a common sense approach.

The day was not a total loss however. For one, we had a picnic outside in the sun. Food we made together. Food we had FUN making together. Played outside in our yard for hours. For two, I won't need to wash clothes for a whole other week. And three, after the kids went to bed, Denn and I saw some really funny comedians. Best of all, when I asked Nathan how today was he said it went well. I'm not sure I'd feel the same way if I'd been given a bloody nose, but it makes me very glad he's learning to look on the bright side. You can't let other people control how you feel.

Sock Monkeys and Sickness

2009-04-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

That mysterious and horrible cold/flu finally got around to Dennis. I hope I'm immune. He's had a migraine for three days, and couldn't get up for almost two. He couldn't even play video games. (You know it's serious, now.)

As for me, I went from morning sickness to a few weeks of recovery to feeling like an overstuffed armchair. I have never been uncomfortable this early on in a pregnancy before. I hope it has something to do with the extra weight I've put on over the last five years and not with an extra LARGE baby. Lian was just under 8 lbs, and that was more than enough for me!

Today Strata tagged along while I got groceries, and when she stopped to put a quarter in a toy machine, it ate her money. The woman at the customer service desk was not very nice about giving it back. Strat was very cool about it and didn't get upset, she just told her she should put up an out of order sign. We grabbed our muffin mix, headed home and when we got out Strata found a $20 bill on our lawn! She is upstairs sleeping cuddled up with Target's very last sock monkey as we speak. Nate's with her, Lian's making his own level on Little Big Planet, and Denn is - sadly - at work. Couldn't get up all day but drug himself in tonight to count inventory, poor guy.

Hope everyone else is doing fine.

Resist your assumptions

2009-04-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

Smitty's Lawn Care is here doing our spring clean up. YEH ... I KNOW. It's lazy. Don't care. I think I"ll hire them every year. They are so inexpensive. I'm sitting here blogging, spending less than I would have on kraft bags and yard stickers, I'm getting rid of all the sticks, and I have none of the sweat equity. Kudos to me! Oh, and to Smitty's. :)

There's a conversation on an unschooling list right now on what we do when our kids' interests worry us for whatever reason - whether they're gross, possibly dangerous, "weird" or whathaveyou. I guess most of my kids' interests make me nervous. I'm used to getting over myself and helping our kids look through their options. Or, as Pam Sorooshian nicely summed it up, "why not support the interest in ways that are possible." Exactly. Like me wanting to get the lawn tidy but not do all the work. lol Really ... calling a lawn service was one option I'd refused to look at because I assumed it would be too expensive. Once I got over my assumptions, I found an awesome solution that worked out wonderfully!

More proof that you don't have to be a kid to take advantage of all this unschoolary.

Movers & Shakers

2009-04-08T07:26:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I was telling my sister how much the baby is moving, and how I wish I could feel it from the outside, and bang. We were watching a movie last night (Sanjuro) when the little bug said "Hello World!" Unfortunately, it was the end of a very long day and everyone else was asleep. lol Funny how it turns out like that. With as active as this baby is though, I'm sure they'll have plenty of chances to check it out.

I hope this works!

2009-04-03T10:39:00.001-07:00

I knew there was grass growing in my flower bed, but wow! When I pulled back the leaves, I was really amazed. And I don't have the energy right now to dig it all out. Ugh. On the internet, I read (which I know can be a dangerous phrase lol) that if you cover the grass with cardboard, wet it down and cover it with mulch, that the grass will die. In a few weeks, according to the gardening experts online anyway, I should be able to plant right through it.

So fine. Strata and I went out, uncovered the flower bed, covered all the grass with cardboard, wet it down, covered it in mulch and recovered it with leaves. Just in time for supposedly very bad weather. By Mother's Day, I should be able to plant right through it. Hopefully. LOL

We'll see how this goes...

Glad we got our fun out of the way

2009-04-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

This week has been pretty fun. School has been off more than usual and its been reasonably warm so the kids have had a lot of friend time. My niece had a musical Monday night, and on our way out we ran into every single person I think I've ever met in my life. lol Then today we went to Des Moines, finally met the Browns in person, and followed them to Skate South. It was an awesome time.

Saturday we were going to go to the Spring Fling at Reimen Gardens, but after reading the weekend forecast I think we might have to pass. 6-14 inches of snow is expected, with possible blizzard conditions on Sunday. Puke me. I'm just glad I haven't uncovered our flowers.

Nathan is spending the night at his friend's tonight, and the other kids are making a level on Little Big Planet. As soon as we drop off Denn's car, I think I'm cashing in for the night.

Stay warm, everybody!

Reconsidering

2009-03-30T07:11:00.000-07:00

After talking with the kids yesterday, we decided to try to train Ole a little more to see if it might help with baby-dog anxiety. As expected, he did GREAT. (For all the trouble he gets into, we already knew he was a smart little guy.)

He stayed off the furniture all day, and he stopped jumping up on us by the end of the morning. Today he is still not jumping up (which is a big deal for him, being that he's so small) but Dennis is home, and he keeps jumping up on the sofa. I know it's hard for him to be apart from Denn when he is home. He's used to being his cuddle buddy, but if he's going to stay here, he's going to have to learn some new boundaries.

Feeling very distinctly this morning like an old school marm (which is probably spelled wrong).

Maybe I'm Just a Snob?

2009-03-29T08:08:00.001-07:00

I did the ultimate "bad mom" thing and put our dog on Craigslist. I don't want a dog around a baby, and I feel badly because we got the dog on purpose ... but we really didn't think we'd have anymore children. Our dog is very territorial of Dennis, and I worry how he'll handle a little baby that doesn't really look or smell like a person being so close to his favorite human.

Still, the responses are driving me crazy. For instance ...

Where exactually is the dog located? This is when both the ad and the response list our location.

Hi, I am writting in regards to the little doxi you have? do you still have him? if so, could you tell me a little more about him. We have four cats. they haven't been around a dog, but I know there woudlnt be any issues.!! thanks

Do you still have it? When can I pick it up?

I don't know. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like something is wrong with these people. OR maybe I just feel guilty. (Magic 8 Ball says, "Chances look good.")

Strat's first sleepover

2009-03-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

Well, she didn't want to really sleep over, which was fine. She went in her PJs and stayed until the other girls were winding down for bed, and she asked if she could come back this morning for breakfast and a little playtime. I was happy the other parents said yes, and it worked out perfectly. The girls were so happy to see Strata this morning. She only stayed for an hour or so, but it was a great end to the party.

It makes me really happy when our kids check out their options. They haven't bought into the idea that the whole world is made up of rules that need to be followed "or else". They don't cringe at making themselves an exception to how things are usually done ... not unless it would really interfere with someone else. And it makes me happy when they do consider that, too, in a realistic way, instead of thinking that any departure from the norm is going to hurt something. I hope that isn't something they grow out of.

Welcoming Spring with a Sha-Bang!

2009-03-21T16:25:00.001-07:00

I'm uploading photos right now. Photos from my new camera (thanks to Mr. Hil). Today was a busy day so they might not be done for a few hours. heh heh

Encouraged by the American Girl Craft-a-Month Calendar, Strata wanted to make a spring journal. We went to Hobby Lobby this morning and got our supplies: a small notebook, an applique flower and some brads, scrapping paper.

By the time we got home, dad had to go to work and we had to get ready to see my niece take part in "Are You Smarter Than a Fort Dodge Fifth Grader?" at HyVee. We were just a little late, but still got some pictures. Hannah did great! There were also tons of people there to see her. lol My sister and I don't always agree on the best parenting techniques but there are some things she undeniably kicks butt at. Recruiting a crowd (and convincing them to cheer despite Hannah's violent warnings) definitely wins some mom points. :)

Afterward we went to Kennedy Park's Maple Syrup Festival. It wasn't exactly what I expected, but it was fun. There were free pancakes with free maple syrup ... the kids loved it. Then we ran down by the lake to skip rocks and make some new friends, and wouldn't you know what eventually happened? Yeh, Strata jumped in. Who didn't see that one coming?

Near the end of the night, we finally got to make Strata's spring journal. She picked out the paper and embellishments herself. I helped her just a little with measuring, cutting and glue-sticking. And viola! I don't know about you, but I think it looks beauuuutiful.

Getting Right to the Point

2009-03-08T06:10:00.000-07:00

Last night, Dennis got home just before the kids were going to bed. They spent some time together and scampered off upstairs. A few seconds later, Strata comes bouncing back into the family room and in her sweet little voice says, "Daddddyyyy..." which is usually followed by some declaration that makes being a father all worth while. Instead, she handed him an envelope and said, "We need to put a check in this," and bumbled back to bed.

I need to start doing that. The look on his face was priceless.

In other news, if you request a free copy of American Girl magazine it will come with a free calendar that shows a new craft every month. (I think that was the clincher!) You also save a few dollars over the online price.

Oh, for Pete's Sake!

2009-03-04T06:52:00.000-08:00

Remember this?

We went and applied for the license today, and pulled out our 10+ year old rings to have them cleaned. We didn't know it until we were there, but we needed a witness to apply for a license so Dennis swung by and picked up his mom ... and this would only happen to my Mother-in-Law, but after filling everything out in black ink the court recorder said, "I'm sorry but you've put down the wrong name."

Turns out, MIL's name was misspelled on her birth certificate. Somehow her parents never noticed (or never thought it would be an issue). So we had to refill out everything and have her put her wrong name down. After that I think she was flustered because she couldn't remember how to spell either of our names, or how old we were. It was pretty comical at first, but by the end, we were beginning to wonder whether they thought we'd just pulled some stranger in off the street.

Yeh, they called yesterday ... she forgot to sign it. *slapping forehead*

It's a good thing we waited so long to get married. If this had happened at the beginning, I would have thought she was trying to keep me out of the family. ;)

OUCH

2009-03-03T05:27:00.000-08:00

Poor Nathan. He scratched his cornea right over his pupil. The doctor said it should heal fine in a few days but because of where it is, it's really painful. Think having an eyelash stuck in the middle of your eye ... only bigger and sharper. :(

Big Brothers, Big Sister

2009-02-27T08:14:00.001-08:00

A few days ago, I just knew we had to get away from home. Dennis had (most) of the day off, and it was IHOP's National Pancake Day Celebration, so we went into Des Moines for some free short stacks and a stop at the Science Center.

We only go once a year, so even if the exhibits are mostly the same, the kids feel like they're new all over again. It was such a nice day but the zoo was closed, so we wound up staying here for hours.

We left with just enough time to catch an early supper/really late breakfast at IHOP. WOW. Was it packed! The kids got a kick out of getting free pancakes, and the Children's Miracle Network got an extra $10. I know last year they raised over $800k. This year, their goal was $1 Million and if everyone who showed up was donating, I'd say there's a good chance they doubled it. I bet our waittress' feet still hurt.

I love day trips. :)

Sisters are SO WEIRD!

2009-02-24T09:30:00.000-08:00

I just wrote a post about my sister, only to find I'd received a Sisterhood Award from Heather's Moving Castle. So weird!

First, thanks to Heather B. for the award. It's nice to know that people are reading. lol

Next, I guess is the inevitable ...

The rules of this award are...
1. Add the sisterhood logo to your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 5 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude.
3. Link to your nominees in your post.
4. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received your award.

And the nominees are ...

1> Vicki at Where the FuhKaui? who is fun and kind and full of spunk. Her posts will inspire you to travel the world OR to "bloom where you're planted."

2> Lisa at Home Fires of Kansas, a very dear friend that I haven't spoken to in forever! She's a military wife and mom extraordinaire, and has tackled the role of bio, adopted and foster mom like no other. (And I just realized .. her dad looks like an older version of Vicki's husband! So Weird!)

3> Jennifer at Tree Hugging Family really is so nice, and professional. She's raising her son on her own, and works from home so she can unschool. A good buddy with great tips on babystepping toward a better planet.

4> Melissa at Startling Lives, someone who I just stumbled onto but like already. She's due with #8 in just a few days so stop by and wish her good luck!

5> Heather at Open Soul Reflections, who is my real-life sister ... and who, unfortunately, is stuck with me. (And who just happened to buy me the very-favorite pair of jeans I have on today. SO WEIRD!!)

Small Weddings

2009-02-23T16:24:00.000-08:00

Though I often refer to him as "my husband," Dennis and I aren't really married. Not officially, on paper, you know ... just superficially in our hearts. ;) What can I say? I was young and idealistic when we first talked about it, and thought there would never be a better reason to be together except for love, and we had that without the frills. Then came baby #4, and health insurance issues, and now we're looking at a small ceremony somewhere that won't cost too much (or completely dash my very-romantic son or daughter's idea of what weddings are supposed to be like.)

We went and applied for the license today, and pulled out our 10+ year old rings to have them cleaned. We didn't know it until we were there, but we needed a witness to apply for a license so Dennis swung by and picked up his mom ... and this would only happen to my Mother-in-Law, but after filling everything out in black ink the court recorder said, "I'm sorry but you've put down the wrong name."

Turns out, MIL's name was misspelled on her birth certificate. Somehow her parents never noticed (or never thought it would be an issue). So we had to refill out everything and have her put her wrong name down. After that I think she was flustered because she couldn't remember how to spell either of our names, or how old we were. It was pretty comical at first, but by the end, we were beginning to wonder whether they thought we'd just pulled some stranger in off the street. :p

They are going to give us the license though. Either that, or file a complaint with Homeland Security.

Planning a small wedding sounds like fun. I have an unschooling friend who can officiate. She's also a musician and cool as hell, so I hope she has time. Strata is busy looking for dresses. (hehe she is so adorable) Have no idea where the ceremony will be though, so if anyone has ideas for small, secular venues in the Midwest ... I'm all ears.

Hey ... I wonder if we could get married on a Ferris Wheel?

* * * Thoughts * * *

2009-02-20T18:13:00.000-08:00

There's a great book called Feeling Good (Dan Burns) that talks about battling depression through positive self-talk, and through recognizing gaps in logic. I like being logical, and I like my kids trusting that I can take care of them. They won't feel that way unless I believe that's true.

And even while I'm saying that, my mind is ticking off all the things I "need to do" before things will be perfect. Ugh. Fortunately, I have decided not to listen too closely. We were hit with a load of problems the past week, but we're already half through them, and by next week they should all be managed. Better than that, we should be through Step 2 of our home improvements. :)

We may have some other announcements as well. Ha ... we may not. You'll just have to stick around and found out. ;)

~ ~ ~ Feelings ~ ~ ~

2009-02-20T06:17:00.001-08:00

I'm depressed. It's official. I caught myself chiding my parenting this morning because our kids don't like Dora the Explorer. Once I realized how unrealistic I was being, I recognized a chain of other ridiculous thoughts that have been filling my brain recently. Geez. It's too bad there isn't a blood test or breathalizer you can take to pinpoint this stuff. I can't rely on my kids hating TV shows forever.

No Trips Wasted

2009-02-12T18:51:00.001-08:00

I'm a great person to take along if you're going on a roadtrip, but I'm a veritable jinx if you have a destination in mind. :( Half of the trouble is my habit of getting lost, at least once, no matter where I'm going or how many times I've been there before. It's almost a talent.

Today was the Valentine's Skating Party in Des Moines. It was at Skate South which is kind of out of the way, which would be fine if Mapquest's directions were right. They weren't, however, and I had to try and finagle my way there. Granted we started out almost 2 hours late, but after getting lost (wow ... just the twice!) we got there and the place was CLOSED. I thought maybe there would be some straggles but apparently they boot everyone out on the dot.

Now we have 140+ homemade valentines we have nothing to do with, excpet use as reminders of the party we missed. :( How sad. The kids were very disappointed, and for awhile I was really, really in the dumps. Then Nathan pointed out that since we missed the party, we still had all our candy (which wasn't the best thing ever but was enjoyable ... for awhile) and then Strata started noticing all the sculptures in Des Moines. I wish I knew that town better. I know we only caught a handful of pieces. We stopped at the capital too and walked all around, looking at all the art and weaponry and trying to find a way indoors. Denied.

I can't believe we just got home a few minutes ago. We stayed longer than we probably would have if we'd gone to the party, and we'd have those damn blisters on our feet. (Who am I kidding? It would have been great ... but the day turned out okay in the end, regardless.)

Home Improvements: Phase One

2009-02-11T12:35:00.001-08:00

I know a lot of unschoolers undertake their home improvements by themselves, but I am serious, every time I try, I break something worse than it was before. The plumbers just capped off the tub faucet I couldn't figure out how to replace a few days ago. More importantly, we had our new hot water heater put in. Hurray! All set for six people. :)

Six people. Saying that still kind of thrills/scares me a little.

This is the first of several improvements we've planned for before the baby gets here. I'm contemplating building a wall in the bathroom and having a shower installed. (The wall I can do.) I'd love to have a Corian shower/bath stall and backsplash. And Konecto flooring. And a bunch of other things we probably can't afford. ;) Eh, we'll work it out. This is one time when I'm actually excited to live in a house.

Other than that, we're making over 100 valentines for a skating party tomorrow, so a nice relaxing bath is just what the doctor ordered. (Though Nathan has called dibs on the first "new" bath. lol)

We're Melting!

2009-02-09T14:45:00.001-08:00

Our world is slowly melting. 54 F today. Supposedly 54 F tomorrow. Followed by some low 40s. It's like spring ... but I don't dare declare it yet. I will admit, it has me wondering if Punxsutawney Phil really does get paid off.

Or ... if Iowa's climate is changing, allowing for longer fall and spring seasons.

One can only hope.

Happy Birthday Lian!

2009-01-10T08:57:00.000-08:00

We stopped trying to plan out Lian's parties a long time ago. The kid changes his mind on a dime (he's a lot like his mom in that way). So, as far as I knew when we got up yesterday, we were going to Happy Joe's for his birthday. I was checking out a waterpark that Minnesota unschoolers have set up a gathering at when he said, "I want to go to a pool." We looked around, and there were a few parks within a day's drive. We looked at pics of the parks, and he picked out the one he liked best -- King's Pointe in Storm Lake, Iowa. It was surprisingly affordable. :)

Initially, we were going to drop money for gas and tickets at my sister's before heading out but I didn't reach her by phone, and by the time we went by her house (and her car wasn't there) we'd only have about 2 hours to enjoy the park anyway. It was snowing tiny little balls of ice, and reports weren't good for the roads, so we decided to brave it alone. I'm glad we did. Not because we didn't want them there, but because the drive wound up being pretty dangerous. Thankfully DH has a few years of delivery driving (read: tooling around in the worst possible weather) under his belt, and a set of brand new tires.

On the way there, Strata taught Nathan and Lian how to blow bubbles.

By the time we got to the hotel, it was snowy, dark and the kids were pretty squirrelly. Did I mention dad has an abscessed tooth? What a champ. We took a few minutes to rest up in our cushy room.

Then we got on our suits and headed down to the waterpark ... which I did not get pictures of, but was very fun. Strata said it was way better than Great Wolf Lodge or any of the Disney resorts. I think the best thing was probably the lazy river that really did push you around once you got on a floatie. The slides are pretty cool, too. They're super fast and go outdoors before dumping you back inside the very warm water. (Not that I know this firsthand ... didn't think it would be a good idea now that a baby's on the way.) Everyone was really enjoying swimming around, but after a few hours, we had to go back to our room for cake and presents.

As usual, Denn put the design on the cake.

Presents were awesome. Operation. Scuba Gear Spiderman. Batman and the Joker. The kids played all night, while we got takeout from the restaurant downstairs. Several baths later, and we were all in bed sleeping peacefully.

It was a great birthday, and turned out to be an awesome Iowa resort.

No Such Thing as "Nothing"

2008-12-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

Needle art collection garners $20 Million

Here's a man who can't read, can't write, and just made a lifetime of earnings off an amazing hobby. This is what touched me the most about his interview ... his words:

The teachers at school made me feel small, sort of made me feel like nothing. I'm trying to prove to the world that 'nothing' doesn't exist.

Can I have my spider back?

2008-11-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

Ferrand Family Crisp

2008-11-07T17:58:00.000-08:00

I'm not encouraging anyone to really try this recipe. It just kind of happened, so proceed at your own risk:

Set oven to 350

Peel, slice and core 5 medium-sized apples or so
Mix in bowl with :

1/4 cup water
1 TB flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Pour in baking dish.

Mix together:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 or 3 handfuls of water

Drop over apple mixture

Drizzle with caramel (we had the syrup-kind used for ice cream sundaes)

Bake for an hour (or around there)

* This will not get golden
* This will be very sweet, but not too sweet
* This probably has a gazillion calories, and 20 lbs of fat per serving

But it sure is good. :p

Based on this recipe right here but did the best with what we had on hand. If nothing else, it was fun.

First Snow 2008

2008-11-07T08:18:00.001-08:00

It's official. On Friday, November 7, 2008, we had our first snow of the season.

The kids were understandably less than thrilled when they got outside and found very little snow on the ground. Still, they were motivated to get their coats and hats on. lol

Mom discovered she'd forgotten a very important key in getting ready for the year. In my haste to "organize" the clothes earlier this year, I forgot to fix the boys' coat zippers. Thank goodness they also have velcro. Add "replacing zippers" to this list of things I have to figure out how to do this year. Also add "Break down and buy a sewing machine." I find myself sewing more and doing some things by hand seems like a recipe for disaster. (Besides, I think Strata, who is already making clothes, would really benefit. I know Lian would get a kick out of it as well.)

List of Unschooling Conferences

2008-11-05T08:03:00.001-08:00

Getting together with other homeschoolers, particularly those using like methods, can be a huge boost to your motivation and self-confidence. (And as I say that, I'm kicking myself that I've only been to ONE in the last six years. It's time for another! We're looking at the water park, or if we're lucky, the cruise.)

Many times, the homeschooling conferences being held in your state will have portions that are unschool friendly, but from what I've heard there is no substitute for a "non-con" or a unschool gathering. The good news is they are becoming more popular as unschooling numbers swell (and unschoolers come out of the woodwork).

Here is a list of events, built with help from Sumbthucker, and Unschooling Circuit Riders and IAUnschoolers Yahoo Groups. Thanks!

Pura Vida Conference, Costa Rica
November 30 - December 8, 2008

Site: http://mysite.verizon.net/reszxig2/
Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/puravidaconference/

Conference Fee: $50 per adult, $40 per child, $200 per family (Under 3s free)

Mountain Retreat
November 30 - December 4, 2008
$16/person plus tax

Beach Retreat
December 4 - December 8, 2008
$90 - $105/night plus tax

UWWG - Unschoolers WaterPark Gathering, Ohio
February 2 - 6, 2009

Site: http://www.ugoevent.com/accommodations.htm
Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UWWG/

No Conference Fee

Rooms (including waterpark passes): $95 - $258/night

HENA, Arizona
March 7 - 8, 2009

Site: http://www.hena.us/conferenceRegistration.html

Conference Fee: $50 - $130/family, less for individuals (many variables depending on date)

UNDER 3s and GRANDS FREE!

Great Big Happy Life, NJ
April 28 - May 1, 2009

Site: http://www.greatbighappylife.com/
Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NJUC/

Conference Fee: $45/adult, $30/child 4+, $160 family - Early Bird Discounts Available

Meal Fee: $92/13+, $46/5-12, $23/4 and under

Lodging: TBA

LIFE is Good, Washington state
May 21 - 24, 2009

Site: http://www.lifeisgoodconference.com/
Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LifeisGoodconference/

Conference Fee: $55 - 85/adults, $40 - $50/child 3+, $175 - $200/family
UNDER 3 AND GRANDS FREE!

Toronto Unschooling Conference
May 2009

Site: http://www.livingjoyfully.ca/conference/

More Info to Come

We Shine, A Celebration of Unschooling, Ontario
June 17 - 21, 2009

Site: http://weshineconference.blogspot.com/

More Info to Come

California Homeschool Network (CHN) Family Network
July 31 - August 2, 2009

Site: http://www.californiahomeschool.net/events/expo/familyexpo.htm

Conference Fee: $40 - $75/adult, $50/couple, $30 - $50/child
UNDER 2s AND GRANDS FREE!

Rooms: $88/night @ Ontario (California) Marriott Hotel

Homeschool Association of California (HSN) Conference
August 4 - 6, 2009

Site: http://www.hscconference.com/index.html

More Info to Come

Northeast Unschooling Conference, Massachusetts
August 27 - 30, 2009

Site: http://www.northeastunschoolingconference.com/

More Info to Come

Rethinking Education, Texas
September 2009

Site: http://www.theunschoolingconference.com/

Conference Fee: $100 - $150/person, $25 Grands

Rooms: $89 - $109/night

Live and Learn Unschooling Conference, NC
September 2009

Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LiveandLearnConference/

More Info to Come

Good Vibrations Unschooling Conference, California
September 10 - 13, 2009

Site: http://goodvibrationsconference.com/

Conference Fee: $80 - 120/adult, $50 - $80/child, family discount options
UNDER 3s AND GRANDS FREE!

Rooms: $119/night

*** THANKS TO FLO FOR HELPING ME OUT WITH INFO ***

3rd Annual Not Back to School Rally ... at DISNEYLAND!
September 14 - 17, 2009

Site: http://sheadisney2009.eventbrite.com/

Wide variety of conference options and prices

Oregon Unschoolers Chautauqua
September 14 - 18, 2009
September 8 - 10, 2010

Site: http://oregonchautauqua.org/

Conference Fee (includes lodging): $150/adults, $75/children
UNDER 3s NOT ENCOURAGED, NOR THOSE WITH PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS

Alphabet Soup Unschooling Conference, Alberta
September 18 - 20, 2009

More Info to Come

Unschooling Adventure Cruise, NJ (to Bermuda and back)
October 24 - 29, 2009
TBA, 2010

Site: http://www.unschoolingadventurecruise.blogspot.com/
Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UnschoolingAdventureCruise

Conference Fee (inclusive): Check Costs Here

PLEASE LIST US AS A REFERRAL IF YOU BOOK A CRUISE. THANK YOU.

This is nowhere near a comprehensive list, so please chime in with opportunities as you come across them. Happy Haunting!

Backtracking: Costumes and such

2008-11-04T09:49:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot to post a picture of my little ghouligans.

Can you believe we made everything but the sythe, mask and gloves? (You can't see Nate's gloves very well, but they are black with glow in the dark bones in puffy paint.) I told him that if he saves them, he can sell them next year. (Excellent way to get the kids to put their stuff away. lol)

Easy Cure for Red, Swollen Foreskin, Balanitis

2008-11-03T07:30:00.000-08:00

I'm debating the need for a disclaimer as the title should be warning enough, but just in case, "this post contains gross stuff."

Our oldest son was circumcised on the recommendations of his doctor. A year or two later, new research threw some of those facts out the window, so we did not circumcise our younger son. To date, they haven't had any major confusion over the difference.

This isn't a post on the good or bad, or whether you should or shouldn't have it done however. It's a post on potential problems, and what to do if your uncircumcised child winds up feeling discomfort "down there."

As a mom, I'm accurately afraid of breaking my son's penis. I still remember how nervous was the first time I gave my oldest a sponge bath. I didn't even touch him, just wrung out a washcloth over his junk ... too afraid to break anything off. :p

The youngest is something different entirely. I don't have a penis, but neither of the other men in this house have a foreskin either, so we're entering uncharted territory. Last night was a learning experience more and more mothers are going to live through if the trend toward not circ'ing continues.

The youngest came to me and said, "My penis hurts when I pinch it." Men. Why do they pinch it? Okay, so I know him well enough to know he's doing this at other time with no problems so I have to take a look. What I saw really worried me. His foreskin was very red and swollen, almost like an old woman with way too much collagen. He was having a hard time retracting, and there was a cloudy liquid coming out the tip.

If we had a better hospital, we probably would have gone to the emergency room, but we don't. They have candy machines right outside the waiting area. How stupid is that? What? So every child who's sick can infect every child who's not? Makes no sense...but I digress.

Instead I got online, and my first stop was Mothering.com where the message board mamas declared the first step was washing thoroughly with warm soapy water and air drying.

Poppycock, I thought. (No pun intended.) Don't they understand the health of his pepe is at stake?! The more I read though, the more I read that same advice and eventually decided to give it a try.

The bonus is that this is something my son had no trouble doing. After soaking in a warm bath for awhile, his foreskin was much easier to pull back and he did all the cleaning himself, then hopped out and ran around the house while he air dried.

We woke up this morning to no hint of redness or swelling. THANK YOU Mothering.com moms. I'm sorry I ever doubted you, and while I would have preferred never having to deal with this problem, I am very happy to report it was easily dealt with.

I can see some children being very apprehensive about going to their parents with this kind of problem, but this is also a solution that they can take care of on their own. You might want to talk to your boys now, before it happens. From what I understand, if it isn't treated right away, it can get worse and require ointments ... and we all know how wonderful that is. :/

The Bloody World of Mr Weird

2008-10-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

Strata has started a Halloween story called "The Bloody World of Mr Weird." We've disabled the link for right now. She's making the pictures with Seashore (a free application for the Mac) and is building it over Yahoo's Geocities. Check it out. It's very creepy.

For some reason, things are really picking up in our family right now. Fall used to be a time to settle in and relax. Those days, apparently, are long gone. We're going over to a friend's for a playdate/dinner in a few days, my sister's birthday is coming up, and NaNo starts on November 1st. And remember, there is also a Young Writer's Program. I will find out in November, too, if I have a new job. (It's a gooood one. )

Then there is the dark side. Dennis is getting buried at work. He's losing 3 key people, and his assistant manager is going on maternity leave soon. The brilliant City Council we have also has set Halloween to be on FRIDAY, meaning for the first time ever he is going to miss out on Trick or Treating with the kids. It's just too busy to spare anybody ... including the several single moms that will have to work.

Here are the addresses for the City Council:

David Flattery, dflattery@csbfd.com
Richard Inman, rinman@fortdodgeiowa.org
Matt Bemrich, mbemrich@fortdodgeiowa.org
Don Wilson, donwilson3030@hotmail.com
Cindy Litwiller, clitwiller@fortdodgeiowa.org
Dan Payne, dlpkay@frontiernet.net

Please write and let them know that Beggar's Night and Fridays don't mix. Not only are working parents not going to be able to get the night off, but there's going to be more traffic. More unsupervised children + more cars on the road = high chance of accidents.

Dennis is under a lot of stress, so if you see him out and about, give him a pat on the back. He deserves it.

I don't know how well I'll do with NaNo this year, but I'm excited to give it a whirl again. Writing a novel in a month is no small feat (and most of the writing is simply atrocious) but it's a really fun, wild way to connect with other writers and get past all those excuses we build up over the years.

Good luck everyone!

Nonsensical Rules Strike Again!

2008-10-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

Fastest Winners Don't Win Awards

Two major races recently gave top awards to runners who did not have the fastest time because the winners didn't have the foresight to know they would win.

The races, run by Nike and the Chicago Marathon organization, gave "elite" runners a head start, but despite that, organizers handed awards to the first runners across the finish line vs. those with the shortest running time.

Wesley Korir was robbed of a Chicago win last month, and Arien O'Connell missed out in the Nike race. Competitors aren't sitting down and taking the decision lightly. The "official" winner, Nora Colligan, had a time of 3:06. Arien's time? 2:55. A difference of 11 minutes!

We don't always do "the right" thing but there's certainly an expectation coming from the racing world for Colligan to step aside and recognize O'Connell as the official winner. The race organizers in Chicago gave Korir his fourth place prize in the end. There's no prize for the Nike race as it raised money for charity, but O'Connell should get the win.

Another interesting note was that the official for both races was the same man, Jim Estes, of USA Track and Field. This is his professional email address, Jim.Estes@usatf.org, please let him know that this policy of elite runners being the only real competitors is damaging the sport.

Knitting and Dexter

2008-10-07T10:09:00.000-07:00

Weird couple of weeks. The last weekend was very busy, and of course, Dennis had to work both days. We ran through both the Webster Co. Conservation birthday and Apple Fest. Still fit in a few hay rides and some paddleboating, but we more tired than I imagined I'd be.

Now I'm stuck on a Dexter kick. That show is amazing ... unfortunately it's moving to cable, and I have a feeling its going to be the kiss of death. Premise? Serial killer who targets serial killers, and works for the Miami police dept. The combination makes things interesting. HIGH SEXUAL/VIOLENT CONTENT ... NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN.

I'm also knitting. I blame Harry Potter. We're reading Half-Blood Prince, and watching the movies. It's like a former smoker watching a movie where everyone's smoking. Good news is, Lian's scarf is almost done. Bad news is, it somehow keeps getting wider, and now looks something like an unfurled refrigerated croissant roll. But the colors are pretty. :)

Hope everyone else is taking some time to enjoy the fall.

Really, I'm not a total a-hole...

2008-09-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

I just realized I have comments on my blog posts. :/ So sorry to anyone who's bothered to say hello. I didn't have my notifications set up right.

Mama's Birthday Celebrations

2008-09-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

Over the years, I really have tried to change into a better person. People who highly value money or notoriety may not recognize it for much. It's an ongoing goal, in any event, to improve myself. You can't forget there's a point in renovations where things always look worse before they look better.

As part of this, I've tried very hard to be less snipey, less manipulative, less judgmental and nasty, and it hurts to see people who I used to admire for not having those qualities develop them at this point. Think very carefully about what you're doing to YOU in the process. It feels great in the moment, but you can't look at yourself and see anything good when you've trained yourself to pinpoint all the bad in the world. A complete lack of this is the thing I think I might value most about Dennis.

Yesterday I had a wonderful birthday. We went back to Humboldt, and checked out this crazy park on the edge of town. Joe-something-or-other. The place looks abandoned, with extremely tall grass laying flat to the ground, and toadstools and crickets everywhere you look. Big Ones.

No, you don't get it. REALLY BIG. As big as my face, or big toe, respectively.

It's a pretty big part with just a few things to play on ... a pony swing and a regular swing and a broken-down slide that was painted black at some point to cover up rust. The ponies are rusted out too. Strata tried to ride one and scratched the insides of her legs so badly we had to go get some Neo-Neosporin. The swings were something out of Silent Hill. It was a very quiet place though and tranquil in its own way. Besides the owies, I liked it there a lot.

We stopped at a restaurant and drove home to watch Goblet of Fire. We're reading The Half-blood Prince with the kids. I'm very proud to say they have excellent comprehension for a book with so many big words. I remember reading Anne of Green Gables with my mom and not know exactly what was going on. They're keeping up with the story pretty well. Anyway, we have all the movies on blueray, and are slowly watching them all. For whatever reason ... not in order. lol Because we like confusing people? I don't know.

After that the kids went with Dennis to get supper. I took a quick nap, and woke up to a plateful of candle-topped cupcakes, a box of chocolates, a new journal, some very bright colored pens and the best cards any mom has ever had Ever. And I Quote,

"I love you. Mommy you're so lovely and the best mom in the world."

Only my daughter would say that too, which makes it so awesome. Who else in the world says "lovely" like that, really? I'm so proud of the kids because they made the day as nice as they could, and I am so so appreciative that Denn took the day off to celebrate my day. It feels good.

Geese Already?

2008-09-14T07:20:00.001-07:00

It seems like fall is moving much faster this year than those in the past. The geese are already flying by this morning. Last year, I thought it was miserably hot into October (but could be wrong). lol

Beevert

2008-08-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

We walked to the park earlier today and on our way home, a little black wasp landed right on Lian's crotch.

Panic. Try not to panic.

I thought if I held the side of his shorts out and we kept walking it would fly away without getting crunched (and causing him to sting him in the manly bits). That fucker stayed with us for a whole block and Lian (who was carrying the biggest cicada ever, now named "Lazy" but who I think is really "Dead-y") was starting to freak out, so I pulled his shorts away from his bod, and tried to get the wasp to move onto a leaf.

It.

Flew.

Up.

My.

Shirt.

F-.

The only time I've ever been stung by a bee, I was stung by two at once when they flew up my shirt and I smacked at them like an idiot. So I made sure I was very calm, but it's a good thing I was wearing a sports bra. With the way our luck was going, it probably would have nestled in between mah gals. Pervert. As it was, it crawled right back out ... and into my hair. Thankfully, we found a bush with little fruits that the wasp was happy enough to be wiped off onto.

I do not like batting at stinging insects, but I've found that most of them will allow you to transfer them to something else without copping a 'tude about it, particularly if it is flowery or fruity.

Along the way we ran across Nate and a group of his friends, all daring him to do something he didn't want to do. They turned around, saw us, and simultaneously crapped their pants. I believe their plans, whatever they happened to be, are foiled so whether I had a stinger next to the skin or not, I guess it was worth it in the end.

Well, and the trip to the park was fun. We ran into a girl I used to babysit. She has a baby now (and was chasing her around harassing her with apple slices LOL). We talked about how nice our neighborhood is, and saw a lot of animals and insects. Didn't see any other kids big kids unfortunately but we'll have all winter to have parties at our house.

Preseason: Chiefs vs. Bears

2008-08-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

I don't know if Nathan will like Green Bay now that Favre has moved on to the Jets, but ... signs of fall are here. Tonight is the Chiefs vs. Bears (at our house, anyway).

Go KC!

Not Back to School celebrations in Iowa

2008-08-03T04:07:00.001-07:00

I used to love the beginning of school. Buying supplies, buying clothes, seeing those friends I hadn't seen all year. Summer is the same way for our kids because once the school year rolls around, their friends can rarely play except for the weekends.

I think people wrongly assume that homeschoolers are only friends with homeschoolers, don't have many friends or infrequently see those they do have. That would be Incorrect. Our kids have a handful of homeschooled friends they see weekly or monthly, but the kids in the neighborhood are daily fixtures in our lives ... for now. While I'm more than ready to have my kids to myself for awhile (selfish, I know! lol) I just wish the school year wasn't soooooooo long.

August is usually host to a "Not Back to School" celebration or two for homeschoolers, and this year is no different. Because of religious reasons, we don't participate in local groups' things so I have no idea what SHINE or SHEEP are doing. (Sheep ... wtf?) But these are two all-inclusive potluck picnics happening in West Des Moines for anyone who is interested:

Wednesday, August 20th from 12 - 4
4th Annual Not Back to School Picnic
Raccoon River Park
2500 Grand Ave, West Des Moines

Saturday, August 23 from 12 - 5
10th Anniversary IDEA-2 Picnic
same place as above

There may or may not be an IHE Carnival this year. While I really enjoy the NBTS picnics, I've been a member of IDEA-2 for almost 10 years. It's the same park, with the same set-up for the picnic so that is probably where we'll be.

It really chaps my hide that I have to choose one or the other. We should live in an area where we have more choices than this. I tried starting a secular group and the religious members (understandably) moved on to SHINE, and the non-religious ones moved away. Unfortunately, despite many a conversation, moving away from this place is not an option, and even more unfortunately, we can't waste the gas to go back and forth to Des Moines every week either. Let alone further East. UGH.

That said, Raccoon River is a really cool park ... complete with water features and a huge wooden tree-house style ship you can run around on. Very fun.

It's supposed to rain today (at 90 degrees) and I hope it does. I am ready for a PURGE. Feel free to note any other celebrations you know about in the comments section...

SUNBURNED! - film at eleven

2008-07-25T22:16:00.000-07:00

Busy day consisting of:

Mt. Rushmore
Custer
Flintstones theme park
Badlands
Wall Drug
Wounded Knee
Days Inn, Mitchell

Check out our stops on the way to Keystone here.

Mt. Rushmore

It was interesting. It was beautiful.

We went early in the morning to avoid the crowds, and though I'm glad we did (by 10:00 a.m. they were really packing in) the kids wanted to do something more exciting. There's only so long most six year olds can stare at a statue and be amazed. They didn't want to sit down for the (free) movies in the museum, and Dennis wasn't feeling the audio tour, so we went for a walk on the President's Trail instead. (Somewhat by accident. Denn turned down the walk and then when we were leaving, he took a wrong turn and viola!)

It's not the best for people with a physical condition. One side has 250 stairs and many viewing areas. If you have health problems, or are really out of shape, it could kick your ass. Our kids thought it was tiresome, but fun, but by the top I didn't even want to stop for photos anymore. I just wanted to go. By then, a lot of people were in the park too and the temp had picked up. I think I would do this first thing and then go back to the museum.

There is a little area near the end, a small bend before you hit the tipis, where you can enter a small cave. I couldn't get a picture, but there is a wonderful view here of Washington. I'm kicking myself for not having the camera, but I really enjoyed the experience. The kids also found out they could fit through the rocks and go up by the mountain! lol

Dennis got a lot more out of this stop than any of the rest of us. It's a part of his childhood experience, and it's a monument that was very interesting for him as a child, notably because kids were the ones who raised the funds.

I'm more interested in the creator, Gutzon Borglum. His parents were Danish immigrants swept up in the crazy of Mormonism, then discarded just as easily. Borglum's mother was the "cast away" wife his father abandoned in Idaho before moving back to civilized Omaha. I like to think his determination to get away, become famous in his own right, was some reclamation of the importance of her ... of who he was.

They say Gutzon was extremely charming, high energy and egotistical. He was also as much of a failure as he was a success. For years, Rushmore was the biggest joke in South Dakota ... makes me think of Crazy Horse (which we skipped this time, but will see in the future).

Custer

Looks very interesting, but we stopped for groceries and moved on to the Flintstones theme park.

Flintstones Bedrock City

There's an 1800's train that takes you slowly around the park and campground, and a Flintstone car built on a golf cart base that buzzes you once around a track. Those are the rides. The rest are buildings to look through, a theater where there is a short animatronic show, a free theater where they play cartoons (but you can buy refreshments, popcorn, etc) a play area with non-bedrock equipment, and three rows of Bedrock buildings (which are not true to the cartoon, as Dennis will gladly point out to you.)

BUT the kids LLOOOOOOOOVED it. The $45 was worth it for that alone, and the cost wasn't so bad considering its good for the year BUT YOU HAVE TO REQUEST IT! If you don't say anything, they'll just give you a day ticket. This is a nice break for small children, and kids 5 and under are free.

Wall Drug

It's a blast (once you get through the actual stores to the backyard). There's a splash pad, dozens of places to get tourist-y photos taken, a roaring T-Rex, fortune teller machines, the works! (And it's free.)

Wounded Knee

This turned out to be just a little too tame for our children at the time. They were wound up and too loud for the other visitors, so we left. I will say this - first, it's $10 a family. The exhibits are not interactive but they are very interesting, and engaging. They chose the perfect graphs to demonstrate settlers' impact on the tribes in America, the pictures they chose were very direct, and ... they give all children a feather when they come in which does work to keep them busy. If there hadn't been anyone else there, I think we would have stayed a long time. Oh, and how could I forget, they have a lovely bison in the parking lot?

The Badlands

Very beautiful. Breathtaking. Awe-inspiring. Why Rushmore is the biggest draw to the area, I have no idea, because these kick any man-made sculpture's behind.

A pass into the park is $15 per car, and it lasts a full week. We went through the Loop in a few hours ... used about a quarter tank of gas. There are several points you can pull off and tool around, take pictures, check things out more indepth. Nathan was really freaked out by the Warning: Rattle Snakes posted here and there ... swore he even heard a few rattling off in the tall grasses. lol

Dennis got pulled over for a "rolling stop" pulling away from a viewpoint, but got away with a warning. Nice cop ... had Lian talking about how he might want to be a police officer when he grows up. He was very concerned though over whether or not they get to use swear words. If not, he doesn't think that's the job for him. Oy! He said he wants to work from home for Pizza Hut. (I'm thinking eventually we might just buy into this franchise. lol Make it a family thing.)

The Fossil Trail by far was the best stop. They have a long bridge to follow with samples of fossils contained in glass boxes along the way. You aren't supposed to get off the trail, but people do. I'm not saying if we did or didn't, but Strata found out the hard way that powdery stuff is harder than it looks.

Days Inn

After all that coming and going, seeing and playing, it was time to get serious about getting home. We thought we only had enough for one more night in a hotel, and we didn't want to spend the whole next day driving. We went until Midnight and finally pulled off in - would you imagine - Mitchell, SD. Home of the Corn Palace, and very interesting costume rental shop. The Days Inn gave us a HUUUUGE room for under $100, and the place has a water slide and a free breakfast. It was probably the kid-friendliest hotel we stayed at the entire time (yeh "water slide" lol) and it was a nice end to the trip.

The ride back was not so fun. I acted like an idiot and didn't stop at some places we could have seen for free, and we did great on gas so we could have afforded splurging a little. Oh well ... Next Time.

In Keystone, South Dakota (Mt. Rushmore-ville)

2008-07-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we're here at Mt. Rushmore.

In the past, we've done our long-distance driving at night. One, to save money on hotels and two, to save the kids from sitting through the misery. We messed up royally by not doing that this time BUT in our defense, we expected there to be more scenery changes this time. They missed most of the mountains on our drive to Orlando because they were sleeping.

However, lesson learned. For the rest of this trip, we HAVE to drive at night. There's no other way around it. Lian was so upset last night pulling into town that I almost couldn't stand it.

We've talked before about renting an RV for a trip, and we might do that sometime. We might not. But these long trips with three kids crammed into the back of a car aren't good.

Anyway ... I've started to worry just a little about the money. We brought enough to tool around Iowa and now half of our budget has gone toward gas money. Hotels are more expensive here too, so I think we're going to HAVE to find some cheaper accommodations or we're going to be in serious trouble. (As in, not have the money to get home kind of trouble.) I thought about listing some stuff on eBay today but thought that might be putting the cart before the horse. We'll stretch it somehow.

Mitchelville and Murdo, SD (Corn Palace & Pioneer Auto Show)

2008-07-25T04:52:00.000-07:00

We hit Mitchelville first, but we should have just kept on moving. The Corn Palace is barely "neat". It's a large building with murals made out of corn on the outside and inside. It changes themes yearly. It was not worth the stop on its own (though the kids decided they wanted to walk around downtown for awhile and we found a Really Cool costume rental shop - go Nate.) Across the street is a half-assed museum that I wouldn't recommend either.

The best thing about the Corn Palace were the signs on the way there, and the pictures of the early 1900 crowds waiting to get in that freckle the inside hallways. Mostly there's a huge market around the outside, and a food court in the inside, followed by a flea market in the middle of the auditorium space. No ... we didn't buy anything. This is supposed to be a much less materialistic vacation than those from the past few years (and so far, it's working.)

Along the way, we noticed signs for a placed called the Pioneer Auto Show in Murdo, SD. (What could be a cooler name than that, right?) Because both Dennis and I like cars, we stopped and checked it out. Wow. For 2 adults and 3 kids, entrance cost $30. Once inside we were given a map and the kids got a treasure hunt guide.

While we were inside we kept running into a teenage girl running around frantically looking for clues, and after I found out what the prize was, I felt bad for her. It was a frisbee ... and not a very durable one at that. There were, however, some pretty awesome autos inside (starting with the elephant tank that sprayed water ... did I mention it was 92 degrees?)

Some of the buildings are inside, some exhibits are outside. They had some surprises: an Edsel, the Iowa State solar car, two mini-cars built for great gas mileage, an old hurse with candle lights, a model "N", the last remaining General Lee from Dukes of Hazard (with a working horn) a Superbird, and more...

The kids loved the treasure hunt, and surprisingly, they were really keyed up that they "got an A+" and won a prize. Lian got bored after awhile and started looking for new bugs. We've discovered an endless supply of them here in South Dakota. Not completely new, but those with noticeable differences from those in Iowa. Very interesting stuff for a 6 year old.

Summer Vacation 2008: Day One - Sioux City, IA

2008-07-24T05:41:00.000-07:00

The first day of our vacation was extremely relaxing. Dennis played through the video game God of War, and decided that despite the boobies and gore, it was a very fun game with an interesting story.

Our goal with this trip was to explore Iowa a little bit. There are so many things here we've never seen. A quick trip to Sioux City took about two and a half hours by car. We got here late, so by the time we stopped, the AmericInn was full, the Days Inn looked scary so we stopped at the Baymont Inn. $80 for a 2-double bed room with mic and frigde, nice-sized pool (with toys) jacuzzi, work-out room and free breakfast. It's a good breakfast, too. Waffles, hard-boiled eggs, bagels, pastries, cereal, milk, juice and coffee...fruit and toast with cream cheese or jelly. (Can you tell we just got back?)

After swimming and playing around after being in the car, we just missed all the cool local spots to eat and "settled" for Chile's. Great meal (but expensive) but we had the best waitress in the world. As usual, Lian was Mr. Flirtatious. For whatever reason, he always hits on the waitress. I can already here people saying, "That's not flirting, he just likes new people." Let's take a look at the conversation:

"I love you."

"Would you like to come over and play games at my house?"

but my favorite of the night ... "You know what sucks? I can't spell yet." I'm sure he was hoping she'd offer to teach him. :p The worst part is as soon as she walked away, he started working on the waitress who was wiping tables down. Oh, the shame.

Anyway, the plan for today is to see the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center and the Sgt. Floyd Steamboat Museum (and the awesome park that goes with it). We want to stop at Archie's Cafe, too. Looks very retro. We aren't sure if we're going to continue on with our Iowa plans, or go on to Mt. Rushmore. Dennis saw the advertisement in the lobby and is all fired up. But that's life on the spur of the moment. :)

One good thing about these Iowa trips is giving us motivation to get out of town on his regular days off. We've been homebound this summer. I think we're burned out on Des Moines, and the east is still cleaning up from flooding.

My nieces went to Rushmore this year with their dad, and I heard about some really fun things to do there, but I'm thinking we may go through Nebraska instead.

Bandshell rededication

2008-07-20T22:24:00.000-07:00

The Karl L King Bandshell was built in the 1920's, fell in to ruin over the last few decades, and the city finally got the motivation to raise the funds to rebuild and improve the original structure. The last time my husband played here, our two older children hung onto a rickety fence around the front of the bandshell jumping up and down and cheering. I think they were 4 and 2. Today there is bright blue water flowing through the original fountains that are working for the first time since before I was born. (So very, very long ago.)

The crowd was amazing, and I was happy to see not only handfuls of hybrids parked along the drive and on the lawn, but also on the way to the park! Here is the very first Ford Escape hybrid I've actually seen driving around on the road (needless to say, I don't live in a very populated area).

My husband noticed me taking the pic and sped away before I could start asking the driver questions (and wasting all that gas, tsk tsk). He was right to do it though. I was seconds away from knocking on the guy's window.

The ceremony was lovely, but the kids weren't really into the band music with a brand new park sitting right across the way. We bailed and headed to the new Olson Park splash pad and equipment area.

Can you say, "Disappointed"? I am so upset with the equipment choices they made. I want to smack someone and demand to know what they were thinking ... but what would that do except land me in prison? :p The equipment is no replacement for the Monster. This park used to be a meeting place in Fort Dodge for families coming in from out of town, but no longer. Many parents were complaining and the kids (they provide the real litmus test, don't they?) only wanted to play a few minutes. They'd scramble around the Monster for HOURS.

I was pleasantly surprised by the splash pad, which is free and open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Still wish there was a lazy river of some kind, but I guess you can't have everything. We finished the day out with lots of visits with the animals, and went home to have a happy night.

Family Intro

2008-07-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

I thought it was time for a family blog that encompassed the whole family. When we first moved into our home in July 2005 we named this place Five Winds, so that's the name I'm adopting.

It's me (Hilary) my (unofficial) husband, Dennis, and our three children - 10 yr old Nathan, 8 yr old Strata, and 6 yr old Lian.