Monday, April 25, 2005

I am VERY SORE, I really thought I would be feeling better today, but I am feeling worse. My arm has a pins and needles feeling all the time with some sharp pain thrown in every once in a while. My back, right knee and neck/head hurt....the doc thinks my forearm has a deep bone bruise (although it might be broken...he wants to x-ray it again next week). Hannah's knee is bothering her to the point she can't put pressure on it (not good for a dancer) but her face is looking better (oh the joy of being young and healing quickly!). Em's doing OK, a little tender,but on the mend. The little ones seem to be fine physically, although Will isn't sleeping at all (I literally mean this...he sleeps 20 or 30 minutes and then wakes up screaming for about 30 minutes to an hour...then sleeps 20 minutes....then screams for an hour...this goes on the whole night)....I actually had a chiropractor adjust him today...we will see if he sleeps tonight.

We went and picked up the rental van today...I actually drove the 5 miles home with only a bit of that "panicky" feeling...I was fine running the typical errands to the ballfields and dance, but I don't know how I will do on a less familiar course! I can only imagine how I will feel the first time I try to drive the route of the accident.

Sunday, April 24, 2005

CMC Pilot Program for grades 4-6

When this GREAT opportunity was posted to one of the homeschooling lists we belong to, I jumped at the opportunity to have the kids included. We didn't have a chance to do any of the museum center Mondays due to our finances, so when they offered this wonderful program for FREE, I was really excited! Now hopefully the kids will be excited (I am a bit apprehensive because of the volume of activities they would like to have the children complete before the visit and we only got the packet on Sunday for a Tuesday session).

Local homeschooling list posted: The Museum Center is looking for homeschoolers, grades 4-6 (or older or younger homeschoolers who are comfortable with work at that grade level),who would be interested in participating in a pilot program at no charge.This program is a pilot for a new approach to learning labs offered by theMuseum Center in which students will be exploring parts of the three museumsat the Museum Center around one theme. The Cincinnati Museum Center is offering the one day program, "History ofthe Ohio River" April 26, April 27, May 11 and May 12, from 9 a. m. until12p.m.

Students will participate in activities centered on the theme,"Humans affect the river and the river affects humans." These activities will cover topics, such as:
* How the Ohio River helped determine the location of Cincinnati
* The importance of river trade to the Ohio River Valley
* The difficulty of flatboat travel and its importance to thesettlement of the area
* The impact that 19th century industry had on the water quality ofthe Ohio River
* The effect that river trade and the shipping industry had on 19thCentury Cincinnati
* How water-borne diseases spread through Cincinnati in the 19thcentury
* How locks and dams changed the Ohio River
* Pollution, and its effects on the river's ecology
* Bridging the Ohio River

We would like to offer the first session April 26 or April 27. If thesedates are not convenient for you, please let us know what dates are moreconvenient for your schedule. We can accomodate a group from 10 to 30 students. Please forward this email to other homeschool parents who may beinterested in participating in this unique opportunity. We look forward tohearing from you soon. Please reply to rhall@cincymuseum.org or 513-287-7000 ext. 2394.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Regina Hall
Exhibit Program Coordinator Museum of Natural History & ScienceCincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal1301 Western AvenueCincinnati, Ohio 45203(513) 287-7000 ext. 2394Fax (513) 287-7029rhall@cincymuseum.org


Pre-Visit Activities
1. Ask your students to talk to their parents, grandparents or caregivers about their memories of the Ohio River. Have them ask what effect the river had on their lives when they were growing up and what memories they have of the river. Although the Ohio River is the focus of this program, not every family may have always lived in this area, so students may gather oral histories about any kind of natural landmark, i.e. oceans, rivers, mountains, etc…Have students take notes while their family members are relaying their stories.
After the students have interviewed a family member, have them write a paper where they compare and contrast their memories and experiences with the river to that of their family’s.
2. Have students create a timeline of their life, recording at least one important event for each year.
3. Have the class divide into groups and research Cincinnati and the Ohio River in three time periods, 1800-1820, 1860-1880 and 1900-1920. Then have a discussion about the pros and cons of each time period for Cincinnatians and the Ohio River, in terms of population, industry, culture, and/or transportation.
4. In one of the activities, your students will encounter a variety of first-person characters from the year 1859, including a pork merchant, an apothecary, a steamboat captain or clerk, an African-American daguerreotypist, and a commission merchant. These people will be available to talk about the impact that 19th century Cincinnati industry and culture had on the Ohio River and how the river impacted early Cincinnati. Please have your students write questions to ask of these people, based on their knowledge of 19th century Cincinnati.

Key Terms and Concepts
Lock – part of a canal or other water way in which the level of the water can be changed, lowering or raising boats, by the operation of gates
Dam – a barrier preventing the flow of water
Flatboat – a boat with a flat bottom and square ends used for transportation in shallow waters
Steamboat – a boat driven by steam power
Trade – an exchange of goods, usually without the use of money
Pollution – alteration in the character or quality of an environment rendering it unsuitable or harmful for certain uses.
Riparian Zone – land adjacent to a river
Impermeable Surfaces – a surface that water cannot pass through to go into the ground
Runoff – water that flows over the ground to a river, stream or lake
Eutrophic Environment – an environment formed when pollutants cause the river to
become rich in nutrients
Algae – a photosynthetic organism
Silt- very tiny particles of soil or rock
Watershed- the land area from which surface runoff drains into a stream, lake, reservoir, or other body of water; also called a drainage basin
Water cycle- also known as the hydrologic cycle, is the journey water takes as it circulates from the land to the sky and back again
Water treatment plants- facilities that treat water to remove contaminants so that it can be safely used

Saturday, April 23, 2005

Slow going.....

I know healing isn't an instant thing and everyone keeps warning me I will feel worse before I feel better...but I can't believe what a number this whole thing is doing on me.

All I want to do right now is sleep...of course I am really sore, now it isn't just my right arm, but my back, right knee and I have a horrible headache. I tried to act like things were fine yesterday, I took the kids to the flower show to be interviewed for the newspaper and to be photographed by the show photographers but I just wanted to run away the whole time I was there....Jay took me to the grocery with him but I couldn't even push the cart, I felt almost claustophobic in the store, I just wanted to get out of there...in my rational mind, I know a lot of how I feel emotionally has to do with dealing with my own mortality and the fact that I might have lived but lost one of my children. Jay can't even bring himself to talk about that possibility.

Hannah says her face really hurts and she got really wiped out at dance yesterday. She had to sit during most of her leaps and turns class because her head hurt. Luckily the teacher seemed to understand.

Em seems to be doing OK...she rested most of the day yesterday. She says her knee is tender but not too bad.

Sophie keeps talking about the crash. Other than putting her in the police cruiser to come home, she hasn't been back in a car. It should be interesting to see how she reacts.

Will is more fussy than usual. He is clingy and wants to nurse all the time. Unfortunately the crash (or my lack of eating and drinking after it) has really wrecked havoc on my milk supply. It doesn't help that I can't hold him with my right arm so we have to lay down in bed anytime he wants to nurse! I hate having to have someone else have to pick him up and hand him to me...

On a brighter note....changing poopy diapers and pull-ups is impossible with one arm...I am gladly passing diaper duty off to those more capable! You should hear them complain!

So today is a new day....we shall see what it brings!

Friday, April 22, 2005

Yesterday......

We were involved in a serious accident after I picked the girls up from the studio....the van is probably going to be totaled, but thankfully we walked away with fairly minor injuries (burns from airbags, bruises, cuts, back aches, etc)....I had Hannah, Em, Sophie and the baby with me....things would have been much worse had we been in a car or even the minivan....a landscape truck coming the opposite way lost a huge auger off the bed of its trailer and it came flying into the front end of the van. Our guardian angels must have been watching out of us....the van didn't roll, I didn't hit the bed of the truck that was in front of me (which would have probably decapitated both me and Hannah) and the person behind me didn't rearend us, the windows didn't shatter.....the squad that responded said that they were amazed at how little we were injured, saying that they would have been using the jaw of life to recover bodies had I been driving something smaller...

The auger hit the front corner/driver side.......ripped off the bumper, pulled it under the car, destroying the wheel/rod,everything on the driver side. Thankfully the truck stopped (it took him a few minutes, he ended up about 1/2 mile down the road).....there is definitely some neglicence (sp) involved....he either didn't secure it properly (his fault) or the pin assembly was bad (company's fault).

I am trying not to be angry.....after all, the 4 things I can't replace walked away from it....Will and Sophie only had slight redness from their carseat straps and Em just banged her knee (apparently when she saw Will's carseat flying up as my body was being thrust back against the driver seat...his carseat was directly behind me.....she instinctively tried to stand up to grab it with her seatbelt on so her knee had a "rug burn" from the back of the seat)....emotionally they are torn up (you should hear Sophie in her little 2 year old voice tell about the accident...of course according to her version,the fact that she fell in the grass when she got out of the car is worse than the crash)....Em swears she will never learn to drive....Sophie and Will tossed and fussed all night....wonder just how much they remember. Hannah's face is burned and bruised from the airbag and my arm is pretty torn up (those darn airbags eject VERY forcefully!) and I can't really use it, makes taking care of the kids and house almost impossible. Poor Will, I can't hold him or nurse him on my right side....guess we will be spending a lot of time laying in bed having nursing-fests!

On a bright note, I got a glimpse at the brighter side of my fellow man yesterday.... three WONDERFUL people stopped to help us.....the guy in front of me, the guy behind us, and a lady coming down the hill behind the landscape truck. The guy in front of me put the kids in his truck and pulled them over in a nearby driveway to keep them out of traffic, the guy behind us flagged traffic (there were almost 2 more accidents immediately following mine one car ended up doing a complete 360 to avoid hitting into the van and then minutes later someone almost rear ended us as they flew up around the curve). The woman gave the kids water bottles to calm them down and held the baby for me since I couldn't move my right arm. The responding squad had great people in it and two state troopers loaded everything they could from the van into their patrol cars and drove us home.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Draw a pig:

I found this site to be hysterical.....draw your own pig and see what it says about you!

http://drawapig.desktopcreatures.com/draw.asp

Toward the middle, you are a realist.

Facing front, you are direct, enjoy playing devil's advocate and neither fear nor avoid discussions.

With many details, you are analytical, cautious, and distrustful.

With 4 legs showing, they are secure, stubborn, and stick to their ideals.

The size of the ears indicates how good a listener you are.The bigger the better. You drew medium sized ears, you are a good listener

The length of the tail indicates the quality of your sex life.And again more is better! You drew large tail, WOW!
I copied this out of my friend's Kas Journal (Hestia Homeschool) that she had copied out of her friend Sugar's journal.....thought I would answer them....

Put an x to the things you have done:
(x) smoked a cigarette
(x) smoked a cigar
() made out with a member of the same sex
(x) been in love
() been dumped
(x) stolen
(x) been fired
(x) been in a fight
(x) snuck out of my parent's house
(x) had feelings for someone who didnt have them back
()been arrested
(x) made out with a stranger
(x) gone on a blind date
(x) lied to a friend
(x)had a crush on a teacher
(x) skipped school
(x) slept with a co-worker
(x) seen someone die
() had a crush on one of your journal friends
(x) been to Canada
() been to Mexico
(x ) been on a plane
() thrown up in a bar
() purposely set a part of myself on fire
(x) eaten Sushi
() been snowboarding
(x) met someone in person from journals/online
() been hxc dancing at a show
() been in an abusive relationship
(x) taken painkillers
(x) love someone or miss someone right now
(x) laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by
(x) made a snow angel
(x) had a tea party
(x) flown a kite
(x) built a sand castle
(x) gone puddle jumping
(x) played dress up
(x) jumped into a pile of leaves
(x) gone sledding
(x) cheated while playing a game
(x) been lonely
(x) fallen asleep at work/school
(x) used a fake id
(x) watched the sun set
(x) felt an earthquake
(x) touched a snake
(x) slept beneath the stars
(x) been tickled
(x) been robbed
(x) been misunderstood
(x) pet a reindeer/goat
(x) won a contest
(x) run a red light
() been suspended from school
(x) been in a car accident
(x) had braces
(x) felt like an outcast
(x) eaten a whole pint of in one night
(x) had deja vu
(x) danced in the moonlight
(x) hated the way you look
(x) witnessed a crime
() pole danced
(x) questioned your heart
() been obsessed with post-it notes
(x) squished barefoot through the mud
(x) been lost
() been to the opposite side of the country
(x) swam in the ocean
(x) felt like dying
() cried yourself to sleep
(x) played cops and robbers
(x) recently colored with crayons/colored pencils/markers
(x) sung karaoke
(x) paid for something with only coins
(x) done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) made prank phone calls
(x) laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) danced in the rain
(x) written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) been kissed under a mistletoe
(x) watched the sun set with someone you care about
(x) blown bubbles
(x) made a bonfire
(x) crashed a party
(x) gone rollerskating
(x) had a wish come true
() humped a monkey
(x) worn pearls
() jumped off a bridge
() screamed penis in class
() ate dog/cat food
() told a complete stranger you loved them
(x) kissed a mirror
(x) sang in the shower
(x) have a little black dress
(x) had a dream that you married someone
(x) glued your hand to something
() got your tongue stuck to a flag pole
() kissed a fish
(x) worn the opposite sexes clothes
() been a cheerleader
(x) sat on a roof top
(x) screamed at the top of your lungs
(x) done a one-handed cartwheel
(x) talked on the phone for more than 6 hours
(x) stayed up all night
() didn't take a shower for a week
(x)pick and ate an apple right off the tree
(x) climbed a tree
() had a tree house
(x) are scared to watch scary movies alone
(x) believe in ghosts
()have more then 30 pairs of shoes
()worn a really ugly outfit to school just to see what others say
(x) gone streaking
() played ding-dong-ditch
() played chicken
(x) been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on
(x) been told you're hot by a complete stranger
(x) broken a bone
(x) been easily amused
() caught a fish then ate it
(x) made porn (well if photos count!)
(x) caught a butterfly
(x) laughed so hard you cried
() cried so hard you laughed
(x) mooned/flashed someone
() had someone moon/flash you
(x) cheated on a test
() have a Britney Spears CD
(x) forgotten someone's name
(x) slept naked
(x)French braided someones hair
(x)gone skinny dippin in a pool
(x)been kicked out of your house

Kas added
(x) gave birth without drugs
() had poison ivy on your butt
(x) had chewing gum stuck in your hair
(x)talked to plants
() fell asleep driving
(x)nursed a baby while on the commode

I added:
(x) fell asleep on the bathroom floor
(x) returned a book for a refund after you read it
(x) pretended you weren't home when someone was at the front door
(x) had someone lose their virginity to you
(x) have a library book in your house that should have been returned years ago
(x) had sex in a public place
(x) snuck into the movie theater without paying

Cade's 5 year old portrait Posted by Hello
Our day yesterday....

This is something I posted to the email list, but I thought I would share it here....a typical day around here....

Started early as the kids had to get their planters down to the Cincinnati Flower show...now this is a huge deal, they have never let juniors have planters at the show before and we know very little about plants. Of course in typical fashion, we had to stop at 3 diferent places to try to find the missing lettuce for Grant's container (no luck) and when we got there we had to haul the containers quite a distance! The kids were so proud of themselves. The women that checked us in were wonderfully sweet and they even invited me to join their garden club (of course it appears I would be the youngest member by about 20 years!). We will find out tomorrow if their containers did well enough to earn ribbons!

After dropping of our containers, we dashed back home so Grant could shower and get dressed for his BIRTHDAY pictures. Hannah and Em dressed the other kids because after the pictures we had to get to a park program. Pictures turned out well, despite the fact that I had to run all over JC Penney's to find someone to tie his tie for the picture (Grant wanted a "fancy" picture).

We headed to the park program (the topic was weather) and it was wonderful to see so many of our homeschooling friends. Keith, the park naturalist, was WONDERFUL and everyone learned so much, including me....like I never knew it could only hail when it was hot out or that the earth spins counterclockwise. I was so surprised that Kas showed up with her girls, I forget how wonderful it is when we see them regularly (they have been so sick this winter). After the program we picniced and played in the park for a couple of hours.

Popped home, Jay and I ran Hannah up to dance and then we went to the cardstore to get MLB showdown cards and then to ToysRUS to pick up a bike for Grant for his birthday. Stopped in Krogers for a cake and icecream. Jay also grabbed some cookies for Grant to take to his baseball practice.

Got home and Jay left almost immediately with the boys to head up to the ballfields. Cade had his first t-ball practice (he was so excited) and Grant's team had practice after that. Once Jay was finished at the ballfields he swung by the dance studio and picked up Hannah.

We all met at 9 PM at Smokey Bones for Grant's birthday dinner. Both the staff and a table of customers commented on how well behaved the kids were (does a mom's heart good). The customers happened to be retired school teachers who even commented how they would have loved to have had such well behaved kids in their classes....OK I didn't have the heart to burst their bubble and say the kids were homeschooled! They even gave us free desserts (hot cinnamon donuts which they wrapped for us to take home) . Once we finished dinner we headed home.

Stopped and bought gas...it was $1.99 a gallon....I couldn't BELIEVE it.....the price had dropped over $.70 in two weeks! Of course the $20 I put in only gave me just over 1/4 of a tank in the monster van!

We got home and sang happy birthday to Grant, he opened his presents and went off to play MLB showdown with Brett.

So we will soon see what today brings....children are beginning to stir! I hear laughter coming from upstairs!

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

My family

I just joined a new email group and had to send an introduction...thought I would post it here also to refresh any old visitors memories and to give new vistors an idea of who we are.....

Here's the long version of our intro.....

I am Laura, wife to Jay, unschooling mom to Brett (14 1/2), Hannah (13), Emily (10), Grant (9), Jacob (7), Cade (5), Sophie (2) and baby Will (9 1/2 months). We live outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. Needless to say, with this crew there is never a dull moment in this household!

We began homeschooling in early Sept.2001 (after trying to convince my husband for over 5 years) and I planned to "school at home".... like many hardheaded people who need a ton of bricks to fall on them to figure something out, my "ton of bricks" was the tumbling of the world trade centers in nyc on 9-11-01. In those hours as I cuddled my babies close and prayed with my older children, I realized that "living" was what was important and ironically never looked back. I don't know why it was so easy for me to give up my ideals of "schooling" and comfortably fall into unschooling but it was (OK, I know part of the reason, I knew I never retained any information I was taught if it didn't interest me). Strangly enough, my husband, son of a schoolteacher, embraced my decision to let the kids take the lead in their learning.

Almost 2 years ago, my older two decided to enroll in a local co-op run by a couple of moms. The effort they put into their classes is purely what they chose,my only rule is that they be respectful of the "teacher" and not disrupt to the other students. At co-op Brett takes Algebra, US Government, Conversational spanish, and Biology with lab. Hannah takes U.S. History, Spelling, and Conversational spanish. They are given assignments to complete each week and they determine how much effort they put into completing them. Grant (9) and Jacob (7) take a reading class for one hour one day a week because they both expressed a desire to learn to read and interest in taking the class. Outside of these activities we use no textbooks, no curriculum, no workbooks.

Brett (14 1/2) is an avid golfer and basketball player. Like many teens, he spends a lot of time on the computer, IM with friends, playing games, downloading music. He is addicted to PS2. He love MLB showdown cards (a game that you play with baseball cards) and spends time trading cards online. Brett was born 10 weeks early and is hydrocephalic and vp shunt dependent.

Hannah (13) dances competitively. She competes on a jazz, hiphop and tap team as well as performing a tap solo. She is a cadette girl scout and is involved in 4-H. She loves stamping and scrapbooking. She is ALL GIRL and loves make-up, music and her cell phone. She has a lot of male friends, but will not be permitted to date until she is 16. She earns extra money babysitting for a couple of families from the dance studio.

Emily (10) also dances competitively. She competes on a jazz, hiphop, tap and ballet team and performs a jazz duet. She is a junior girl scout and is involved in 4-H. She loves stamping and scrapbooking. She is a nature girl and loves to spend time outside. About a year ago Emily had a dream and decided that she needed to become a vegetarian. She is bordering on being a vegan but drinks milk/eats cheese and yogurt. She won't touch eggs or any meat.

Grant turned 9 today. He is a naturally gifted athlete who loves baseball, basketball and football and excels at all! He struggles with learning to read (I suspect some -lexia but haven't had him tested). He likes math and works numbers well in his head. He loves MLB showdown cards.

Jacob just turned 7 last week. Like his big brother he likes sports but isn't as natually gifted. He plays baseball and football and never complains about going to practice or playing time. He is learning to read and like his big brothers has an easy time with numbers. He loves riding his bike. He loves MLB showdown cards.

Cade turned 5 earlier this month. The kid is a born comedian and keeps us in stitches. He is playing t-ball this spring and is looking forward to playing football this fall. He LOVES math and anything number related! He just got a bike for his birthday and is loving learning to ride it. He loves MLB showdown cards. His special talent is that he knows the name and number of every Cincinnati Reds baseball player. People love to quiz him by saying a number and he tells them the player.

Sophie is 2 (will be 3 in June) and is the princess of the family. She loves to dress in her sisters outgrown dance costumes and usually goes everywhere in a tutu or some sequined costume. She LOVES books and must be read to at least 3 times a day. She is working on learning to use the potty.

Will is our baby. We have nicknamed him Harry Hudini (sp) because he can escape from any seatbelt and LOVES to climb. He crawls and pulls himself to standing and loves to cruise the furniture. His newest feats include learning to wave, learning to sign "milk" when he wants to nurse, and learning to clap.

Let me see, anything else? We have a family bed, believe in child led weaning, don't vaccinate, don't restrict tv/computer time/video games, are very liberal with viewing/listening content, don't have bedtimes. Favorite family tv shows include The Simpsons, Family Guy, Malcolm in the Middle, anything on Court TV and CSI. We eat as a family every night usually after everyone is home for the evening (so about 9 PM). And although you might not have guessed it, we are very conservative both religiously and politically. We love getting together with other homeschoolers/unschoolers and work daily at practicing tolerance towards everyone we met. By no means do I think because it works it us that it will work for anyone else.

We also play host to 4 aquatic turtles, one ornate box turtle, 2 cats, 4 toddler kittens, and 4 newborn kittens and a gerbil.

Saturday, April 16, 2005

Meeting in Real Life....

For close to 10 years I have been involved with a little email loop of woman. We have seen each other through pregnancy, divorce, moves, children's illnesses, unemployment, the list is endless. Finally on April 8, I had the opportunity to meet one of my fellow loop members in real life when she extended an invitation for my daughters, Will and me to stay with her on a visit to Indianapolis for a dance competition.

Beth was a WONDERFUL hostess and despite her protesting people saying it she does exemplify grace under pressure!

April 8th, the day the adventure begins was Cade's birthday. We celebrated early so that the girls and I could head out to Indy...he seemed THRILLED to have cake for breakfast and was so excited to get his bike in the morning instead of nighttime!

I was a bit apprehensive the whole drive to Indy. I tried to remember the evolution of our little list, of how long Beth and I had "known" each other and tried to reassure the girls that we weren't going off to meet some "sicko" from the internet. She gave wonderful directions and we found her street easily, the homes in her neighborhood are just beautiful. The numbers switched quickly and I ended up driving past her house (her daughter Sophie was in the driveway) so by the time I turned my monster van around Beth was standing in her driveway to greet us. It was so strange to wrap my arms around someone the had just been a flat screen for almost a decade. We piled out of the van and into the house. It was a pleasure to get to meet her children and like in any large family it was neat to see how different their personalities are! We had discussed going to Conner Prairie, but the kids seemed content hanging out and it was so nice to just get to sit and talk so we spend the better part of the afternoon chatting. One of her sons made brownies and we enjoyed them HOT from the oven!

As dinner time approached, a minor mishap occurred. Her son Josh was in the driveway playing basketball with a friend and he fell into a bolt on the basketball pole and gashed his head. Beth handled it in stride, pulling her insurance cards from her purse while calling her husband on the phone. Her husband came home and took Josh to the hospital. Surprisingly they just glued the cut and tied his hair to hold it tight (I jokingly said Allen should have taken the digital camera and taken step by step pictures so we would know how to do it the next time...of course that would mean I would have to LOOK at the cut !!!) Anyhow Allen and Josh get home and we have a WONDERFUL DINNER.....Beth said it was SIMPLE and shared the recipe (I made it Wed night..everyone loved it!). Before anyone else had finished their first helping, my little Sophie was demanding more food...I think she ate 3 or 4 servings......probably because her BAD MOMMA forgot to feed her lunch (she was asleep when the girls and I got Subway!). So take note before inviting Riesenberg children to dinner to make sure they have had LUNCH!

After dinner the girls convinced us to go to the mall.....I think Beth and I had a better time than they did...Beth treated me to an frozen iced coffee treat (the first I ever had!) and we found an adorable dress for my Sophie. After the mall we went to Target to get the diapers I forgot at home and then went back to Beth's house. I so did NOT want to go to bed, I wanted to spend the night talking with my friend, but sleep called!

We were up early the next morning......second mishap, my Sophie managed to puke in the family room! After cleaning up the puke (Beth did the hard work!), my kids and I headed off to the dance competition (the real reason for our trip to Indy) and Beth and her family headed off to Enoch's soccer game (you all should see that boy's calves! they are HUGE!). We didn't get home until late and were wiped out, but Beth and I got to spend a bit more time talking.

Sunday morning was so hard.....we had to be at the competition early and Beth had nursery duty at church.....as I was heading out Allen came downstairs in his suit with this bright striped tie on....Beth commented abouting him wearing it and I just had to tell him how much I liked it...Beth mumbled something like "thanks, now he will wear it all the time"...I am still half expecting it to show up in my mailbox in a wrinkled ball! I was so sad pulling out of the driveway!

Beth's family plans on practicing courtship with her children, but if the plans for Josh's courtship don't work out, I think Miss Emily would gladly get in line....of course she wants 12 kids.....but Beth and I would be WONDERFUL grandmas! Could you just imagine the story they would have to tell...."our moms met on the internet and they ended up arranging our marriage!"....

So that's my story and I sticking to it!

Beth's Chicken Recipe:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups sour cream
1 packet onion soup mix
6 chicken breast

In a crock pot, mix soup, sour cream and onion soup mix. Put chicken breasts in crockpot and push down into mixture. Cook on low 8 hours. Remove chicken from crockpot and serve remaining sauce over egg noodles. Super easy and super yummy!

Wednesday, April 06, 2005


The 3rd grade boys basketball team won their division with a 9 and 1 record and advanced to the elite 8 of the cyo tournament. Posted by Hello

Someday he will hate me for this picture, but I just LOVED the flowers! Posted by Hello

Sunday, April 03, 2005

Wild Wednesdays:
Last year my family attended the Wild Wednesday programs and had a wonderful time. The information for this year's program is now available and we wanted to share it with our homeschooling friends. There are trails for hiking, ponds for exploring and a playground, so we usually plan to hang around for a while after the program.

04-May H.A.T. - Horns, Antlers, & Tusks presented by Second Nature Animal Programs +
11-May Newport Aquarium presents A Visit From the Indonesian Rainforest *
18-May Farmer Frank and Sunrock Farm presents Barnyard Animals **+
25-May Life With Reptiles presented by Second Nature Animal Programs *
01-Jun Birds of Prey including Aquila, the Bald Eagle presented by Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky
08-Jun Cincinnati Zoo presents Wildlife Comes To You *+
15-Jun Second Nature Animal Programs presents The Incredible Egg **
22-Jun Natural History Education Co. presents Bringing the Zoo To You and They Only Come Out at Night! *+
29-Jun Owls presented by RROKY and book reading of Woody, the Kentucky Weiner "A New Home" by Leigh Anne Florence)**
13 -Jul Sunrock Farm presents Barnyard Animals with Farmer Frank *
20-Jul A Visit From the Indonesian Rainforest presented by Newport Aquarium **+
27-Jul Natural Flight - A Juggling Show presented by Tom Sparough, The Space Painter *
03-Aug Cincinnati Zoo presents Wildlife Comes To You **+
10-Aug Kentucky's Trees presented by Kenton County Cooperative Extension Service *
17-Aug Aussie Animals including Bennett's Wallaby joey presented by Kentucky Down Under **+
24-Aug Outdoorswoman Vikki Rawe presents Feathers, Fur, and Feet *
31-Aug Cincinnati Zoo presents Wildlife Comes To You
From the webpage: Kenton County Parks & Recreation and Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, Inc. welcome you to Wild Wednesdays! at Middleton-Mills Park from May through August. Join us for this, our sixth season of educational and entertaining programs about Nature and our natural world as we celebrate the amazing diversity of life on Earth.

The free programs begin at 10:00 am at Shelterhouse 2 - rain or shine - and last about an hour, with ample time for "up-close and personal" observation, and questions and answers.

Arrive early! For Wild Wednesdays! marked with one or two asterisks (* or **), plan to arrive early! Beginning at 9:30 am, on dates marked with one asterisk, Laura Davies, from Kenton County Public Library, will read stories, sing songs and promote "Imagination Exploration", their terrific summer reading program. On those dates marked with two asterisks, also beginning at 9:30 am, we'll have visits from Bearemy, the Build-A-Bear Workshop mascot, and his keeper will read a story or two.

Stay late! On dates marked with the plus sign (+), Naturalist John Barker from Big Bone State Park will make special presentations following the scheduled program.

Following Wild Wednesdays! during the months of June and July, Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission Head Start, thru the USDA Summer Feeding Program, will provide free sack lunches with milk to all children 18 years of age and younger.
During the school year, it is not unusual to have a number of different schools represented each week, generally in the K-8 age groups, accompanied by their teachers and chaperones. But, it's not just schools and school-age children who are attending the programs. It's all ages, from babies to seniors!

Answer the call of the wild! Meet live Cincinnati Zoo creatures face-to-face! See eye-to-eye with a Bald Eagle and Great-horned Owl when Raptors Rehabilitation of Kentucky comes to visit! Meet Farmer Frank and barnyard animals from Sunrock Farm! Howard Schwartzman and Second Nature Animal Programs will be back, along with new presentations from Natural History Education Co., the Newport Aquarium, and Kentucky Down Under!
Join Kenton County Parks & Recreation to discover the fascinating world of wildlife during Wild Wednesdays! at Middleton-Mills Park! Learn simple definitions for big words such as biodiversity, endangered, conservation, preservation, adaptation, ecosystem, indigenous, extinction, specialization, and interdependence.

Each week, there is a door prize-type drawing; in which donated items are given away.
After the program, take a hike. We mean it! Take a hike! Explore the mix of meadow and woods and hike the trails of Mills Road Park. Here's a chance to "Get back to Nature" and identify some of Kentucky's native trees and wildflowers. Discover the Northern Kentucky Bluebird Trail, a monitored series of nest boxes for cavity-nesting birds. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to observe Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, Chickadees, and Wrens and many other species in their natural habitats.

Or, explore the ecosystem of a pond. Examine the inhabitants of one of three ponds - from microorganisms found in pond water to the variety of plants, animals, and birds, which depend upon the ponds for life.

All you need is a sense of wonder - we'll take care of the rest! Go wild! Wild Wednesdays! Don't miss a single adventure!

Directions to Mills Road Park are easy: From I-275, take Covington/Taylor Mill exit (Exit 79), go south on KY16 7 miles to Mills Road, go east (turn left) on Mills Road, go one mile to park
For more info check out the Kenton Co Parks website.... http://www.kentoncounty.org/department_freeform_T7_R170.html