Vacation Days

This week has flown by and I only have one day left before returning to work.  Honestly, it would be nice to stay home with the kiddos.  I will miss morning time leisurely snuggles.  I will miss taking Pumpkin to and from school.  The kids have seem to have less behavior issues since they have spent time home with me.  Although, Princess has apparently started the tantrum stage.  She was crying and sulking in our bedroom earlier because Pumpkin was mopping the kitchen floor, not her.  But Pumpkin was mopping the kitchen floor because he had decided to make apple juice on the kitchen floor.  He gathered a large bowl, about six apples and the potato smasher for his unsupervised experiment.  It was not too successful and the floor was quite sticky. So we had to clean the floor. 

Anyway, during this vacation we checked quite a few things off our to-do-list: 

We took a drive north of our town, down an old rocky road to watch part of the meteor shower Sunday evening.  Since we were in the middle of no where, we were standing in the middle of the road watching the sky.  We saw the Milky Way (which we cannot see from out house), the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, the crescent moon, and a handful of shooting stars.  We let the kids lay on the hood of the car to watch the stars.  As we saw headlights in the distance, we scrambled into our car to be better protected.  A very old, old car drove by (maybe something from the 1920s or 1930s), then "Aaauuugah! Aaauuugah!"  Hubby and I burst into laughter!  Then the little car chugged off over a hill and we continued star gazing for a while longer.

On Monday the kids and I visited the children's museum.  The kids had a lot of fun.  

On Tuesday we went to the state fair.  Boy was it expensive.  A bottle of water was $3.00, that is absurd.  We did get to partake in some fair favorites: elephant ear, funnel cake, and lemon shake-up.  Yum!  Both kids got to milk a cow and we saw the Butter Cow.

On Wednesday, Pumpkin started the first grade.  We met his teacher on Monday.  Pumpkin and I went over the class expectations at least once a day every day this week since the meeting.  For example, one expectation is to be respectful of the teacher.  So I asked Pumpkin how he could be respectful and he said listen.  He was so nervous on Tuesday night that we prayed for him and his teacher and that has seemed to help.  So much so that he asked for the same thing the next night.  What a sweetie!   Anyway, I was so happy that first half day when he came out of the school to be picked up that he was not the child holding the teacher's hand.  Yay!  Oh, Wednesday afternoon and night we cleaned Pumpkin's room.  It is a miracle, I can see the floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On Thursday, Princess and I ran a few errands and she got a new pair of shoes.  We played with chalk outside and swung on the swing.  She passed out in the hallway about an hour before we were to pick Pumpkin up from school.

On Friday, Princess spent the day with great grandma and I completed a few volunteer hours as required by the school.  It was an enlightening experience and gave me some ideas that I can utilize when I return to work.

Today we visited the library and then went on our regular routine to the grocery store.  Princess wanted some Fancy Nancy books and I found a few Elephant and Piggie books for Pumpkin.  He was too busy playing with the train set to look for books today.  We even picked up a few Halloween and Christmas books too.

This week I have read the following books: 1) Daughter of Jerusalem by Joan Wolf.  It was really good and was a fictionalize journey of Mary of Magdalena that utilized facts from the Bible.  It really made me think about the miracle, awe, and uncertainty of the times when Jesus lived. I discovered Joan Wolf about a month ago and am impressed by her biblical fiction.  2) Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen Ed.D.  I only have three chapters left of the book.  It has some very interesting concepts and focuses on encouraging children not discouraging them.  I have applied a few of the concepts on the children and they do seem successful.  I have been reading this book for a while.  But once I decided to take notes restarting from the beginning, it has gone a lot smoother.  I have been reading one chapter a day during vacation.  3) A Reluctant Queen by Joan Wolf.  I just started this afternoon.  It is the fictional story of Esther based on the facts of the Bible.  It is definitely interested reading about the women of the Bible and getting a glimpse of what their lives may have been like.

Well things will start to get back to normal on Monday.  Pumpkin will be in school and hanging with great grandma before and after school.  Princess will start at her new daycare that has a preschool curriculum.  Daddy will be working and I will be working.  It has been nice to be on vacation and my batteries are recharged a touch.

Last Hurrah of Summer

Summer is almost over.  We have not done too much this summer, but we are trying to make the most of the time that is left.

Two Sundays ago we visited a museum in our state capitol.

Last Thursday we visited the zoo for the first time this year.

Friday was the kids last day at daycare and I am on vacation.  Nine whole days away from work!  Only happens once a year.  Too bad it is not a paid vacation, but beggars can't be choosers.

Yesterday we had a tea party, got haircuts, and decorated little plant saucers for miniature bird feeders.

Today the kids are playing in the kiddie pool in the yard, while hubby and I try to accomplish a few needed projects.

Plans for the next seven days include:
- Taking the kids to tour Princess's new daycare that has a preschool curriculum.  Yay!!!!
- Playing at a children's museum.
- Visiting the library.
- Meeting Pumpkin's new teacher and starting 1st grade.
- Visiting the state fair.
- A mommy / daughter day.

Time To Celebrate Glasses!

Yay!  It is Great Glasses Play Day today!  

Time to celebrate kids that need a little extra help with their peepers!

Did you know?

This is our second year celebrating.  Last year we wrote a poem and interviewed princess about her glasses.

Today, we celebrated by partaking in some of the suggested craft projects posted on the Great Glasses Play Day website.  I must remember to let our eye care provider know about this great site as well as the Little Four Eyes site (one of the groups behind the celebration).

First we made fun foam eyeglass cases for Princess (age 4) and Pumpkin (age 6).  Since Pumpkin does not wear glasses, we found a pair of fun foam glasses for him to wear for our fun craft time.

Princess is so excited to have a homemade eyeglass case to place her glasses in during nap time at daycare this fall.  Of course it is purple!  What other color would be fitting for such a statement of character and flair.

Next we made Princess a ladybug mask to go with her homemade ladybug cape.  Now she is really Ladybug Girl!!!!!! This was the best craft of the day. 

Pumpkin was so engrossed making an eyeglass case that he skipped making the mask.  We finished the craft session with a coloring page.

Currently Princess' prescription is:

OD: -5.25 sph, -1.50 cyl, 110 axis

OS: -5.50 sph, -2.00 cyl, 070 axis

We are definitely thankful for her glasses!  Well off I go to read Princess Fancy Nancy: Spectacular Spectacles by Jane O'Connor.

Happy Great Glasses Play Day Everyone!!!!!

Flying Over Alaska

I am betting that you took a double take at the title of this post.  No, I have never been to Alaska and at this current time I do not plan to get on an airplane again.  My feet were meant to stay close to the ground and I value my hearing too much to try another airborne adventure. 

This post is about a series of books that I have read by author that I recently discovered Bonnie Leon.  The Alaskan Sky Series is composed of three separate books: Touching The Clouds, Wings of Promise, and Joy Takes Flight.  I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this series.  The adventures that lie within the pages drew me into the stories.

Touching The Clouds is the first book of the series.  The main character is Kate Evans, a free spirited farm girl from Washington State.  The year is 1935 and Kate is looking for herself through an adventure of a lifetime.  She ditches her finance and her planned future that by all accounts is safe to head to Alaska to become a bush pilot.  Kate flies her Bellanca Pacemaker named Fearless Kate to Anchorage looking for work.  She finds friendship and adventure in the most unexpected places in a land where female pilots are a rarity and everyone has a secret to hide.  This book reminds me of the pioneering spirit of Amelia Earhart. 

Wings of Promise is the second book of the series.  This book picks up a few months after the first book left off and about 18 months after we first met Kate.  She is an established bush pilot loved and respected by many.  What I liked most about this particular book is that it addressed our fears in that when something bad or tragic happens we are too scared to continue, to live our lives without fear, and we run from the things we love.  It is hard to overcome personal tragedy and once Kate uncovers and faces her fears it provides a freedom like she has never known.  P.S.- Amelia Earhart and her around the world flight is mentioned in this book.

Joy Takes Flight is the last book of the series.  This last book picks up another few months down the road from the second book.  The year is 1938 and Kate is entering into uncharted waters trying to maintain her freedom of flying the open skies while balancing marriage and other aspects of wedded bliss.  How will her choices affect her and those she loves?  Adventures awaits around every corner in this last book of the series.  I was a bit disappointed at the open ending.  I guess I expected a bit more finality that what the author provided, but such is life. 

Overall, this is a great series.  There are so many juicy points and story hooks that I want to delve into, but I do not want to give anything away.  The secondary characters are just as vivid as the primary characters.  This is definitely an amazing journey that you will need to read yourself. 

Quirks

 

We all have our quirks.  That is what makes us different from our peers.  That is what makes us individuals.  

Depending on the person and the quirks . . . . quirks can be fun.  Quirks can be frustrating.  Quirks can be cool.  Quirks can be annoying.  Quirks can encompass a whole variety of areas. 

Like everyone else, I too have some quirks.  Some are cool and some are frustrating to me. 

Writing quirks- I can write with both hands.  My dominate hand writing is very legible.  Typically when family members are writing a memento note to remember an event or information for a special item, they ask me to write it for them.  My maternal grandma, who quilts a lot, always has me fill out the tag for the back of the quilt with all of the pertinent details.  My non-dominate hand writing looks like a kindergartens.  It is large and shaky, but it is readable.  This skill comes in handy when leaving anonymous funny notes on co-workers desks. 

Reading and Speaking quirks- I think that I may of had some undiscovered learning hurdles in this area.  If I see a word that I have never read, I have a heck of a time trying to figure out how to pronounce it.  During college, I was reading the Left Behind Series and one of the characters had the name Chloe.  I had no idea how to pronounce it and I never quite asked anyone how to pronounce it, so I thought it was pronounce Coal.  Yes, I know way off.  I do not think that my hearing always correlates with my speaking and reading skills.  Sometimes I can not figure out what someone is saying unless I see their lips move.  Another example, my boss corrected me just about a week ago when I was talking about ricotta cheese in a recipe.  Apparently I added a few extra letters sometime during my life, so I was saying rittacotta cheese.  Unfortunately once I get a word stuck in my head the wrong way it can take me quite a while to correct it.  He had correct quite a few times (ha ha ha ha).  Thankfully I have a understanding and kind boss. Anyway, the words that I have the most difficultly with are words with "m"s and "n"s mixed together.  I think I may have a form of dyslexia when it comes to those words, whereas, I just switch the letters around.  A college friend that had a dog named Cinnamon delighted in the fact that it sounded nothing like cinnamon when it came out of my mouth.  More like cim-a-mum-mum.  I have been able to train my self to say it right, if I say it really slow.  Other words that I seem to get corrected on:  Pastor apparently sounds like pasture.  Washing sounds like warshing.  Napkin sounds like nackin.  For a while I thought Marcia was pronounced Mar-seat-a.  Bench, well you can figure that one out yourself.  Artisan comes out like art-tish-an.  Then, I also can forget how to say words or spell them.  "The" is terrible and I have actually forgotten at times much to my chagrin.  You never know what is going to come out of my mouth and I seem to add letters, drop letters, change letters and invert letters.  Oh, I will also switch the order of words in a sentence.  That is always great for a laugh.  So listen closely if you are talking with me (wink, wink). 

Number quirks-  This one is my weirdest one.  When I hear numbers verbally, I switch the numbers around.  So I always have to read numbers back if I am writing them down.  Answering machine messages with phone numbers really peeve me off because the caller rattles them off so fast that I have to listen to the message about three or four times to get the number down.  So for my sake and others just like me, slowly say your phone number and your name then repeat a second time.  That is how I leave message, if I get an answering machine while returning a phone call through my workplace.  Anyway, on the other side of the coin.  I am great at remembering numbers.  I can rattle off my boss's home phone number.  I can tell you the four digit number for bananas and donuts in the self check out line at the grocery store.  When I worked at the card shop, I was in charge of the Willow Tree Angel display.  I could look at an angel and tell you the last last three digits of the stock number in the back room to locate the box or unshelved product.

So, do you have any quirks that you would like to share??