Pictures from today's tour: Picture of Sophie in the Flamingo Air jet; Em and Grant in the Flamingo Air jet; the original control tower; a closeup of the sign on the original control tower; Will in the cockpit!

An Anniversary of sorts.....

A year ago this morning, my life was the way it used to be....by a year ago tonight I knew my father was dying. It has been a very long year.......he spend 28 days in ICU, a week in the main hospital, and 5 weeks in rehab at Drake. Fortunately he doesn't remember any of it but the very end when he was at Drake. When he got home in July, I doubted he would make it to his birthday in September, but after his birthday passed, I began to stop thinking that he might not make the next "milestone"....Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mom's birthday, Easter....and now the one year anniversary of his diagnosis.

A year ago they told us he had an incurable cancer. A year ago they told us he was in complete kidney failure. A year ago (minus a few weeks) they told us he had a stroke.

He isn't the same person he was a year ago. None of us are the same person. There are times I resent the hell out of the chaos this has thrown into my life. Days when I resent that my parents have become such an integral part of our lives (I had worked so hard to keep a buffer between us since they don't approve of so much of our livestyles). Days when I am so pissed that my mother thinks she has any right to tell me that my kids should be in school because I can't possibly be teaching them what they need to know....she is right, I can't HALF of what I should be doing with them because my father now gets at least 2 days out of my week, if not three (depending on if he has an extra appointment with some specialist or not). But there are days when I am grateful for the time I have been given, to say a slow goodbye. Days when I hope by example my children learn that they have a responsibility to their parents and that even when it isn't fun, when it is inconvient, when it interferes with something they would much rather do, that the bond of family wins.

I never leave my dad without telling him that I love him, something I had probably never told him since the day I left home at 18. The younger kids have formed a bond with him that they would have never had if this hadn't happened. The older kids have learned a lot about the power of faith and prayer.

He has an appointment with his oncologist this Friday to determine if they will do more chemo. He goes to see a GI doctor next Wednesday to see if they can figure out why he is having trouble swallowing sometimes and why he has coughing fits. He is going to have his shoulder x-rayed to see why it causes him constant pain. He is to the point that the oxycotin doesn't help with the pain.

I know there other lessons in all of this.....some days I really ponder what it is and why I am not completely getting it. And I wonder, if a year from now, I will sit and post that we have made it to another anniversary with Dad still with us.

Visiting the Cincinnati Flower Show

We took the opportunity this morning to visit the flower show. We had to go down and make sure our containers were doing OK so we timed our visit with the late opening of the show today and spend some time walking around. The kids containers are amazing, they all scored GOLD (an improvement over last year we had gold, a couple silver and even a bronze).

Here are a few pictures from today! Sophie with her window box; Cade with his window box )view of his box by Sophie's box); Emily with her succulent garden; Grant with his HOT HOT HOT salsa garden; Sophie with her little pumpkin.

More Flower Show pictures: Hannah and Sophie with the metal spider; Emily, Grant, Jacob, Cade, Sophie and Will with their friend Chris; Hannah's window box; Hannah's creative container

Drama Class:

A graduate student at UC contacted Julieanne about testing the drama program she has developed for her thesis. It was great fun. Although the program was designed for more middle school and up age students, all of the little ones really got into it! Melodie just send me the pictures, even though we did the program back in March....here are some of my favorites!

I hope that in the future we are able to present this class to an older group (jr high and high school). I think they would really take off with the material that was presented. In the pictures the kids are wearing their "emo" masks. The freat thing is that we got to keep all the materials from the project.

Monday, April 24; 1:00 pm
FREE Irish Dance class
Union Township Civic Center
No RSVP necessary
Contact person: Julieanne Hensley

Julieanne wrote: Hazel Donnelly, the very nice lady from Dublin who teaches the Irish Dance class we've been taking for the past few years is going to be coming to the gym this Monday to give a free lesson, and try to gauge interest level for setting up homeschool classes for next fall.

True and Liam have both taken Irish Dance with Hazel, and really love her. She's planning on coming to the Wild Child Open Gym at the Union Township Civic Center on Monday, the 17th at 1pm. So if you have any interest at all, this would be a great opportunity to come by, meet her, and observe or take a class! : ) She also teaches adult classes, if any parents are interested!

Although the girls are completely devoted to their current dance studies, I thought it might be fun to expose them to another dance genre, so we went and checked out the Irish Dance Class. Hannah opted not to participate (if it doesn't involve taps it doesn't appeal to her) but both Sophie and Emily took the class. Although they both had fun, Emily declared she would much rather take another ballet class then expand into Irish dance. There was a great turnout though, so if Hazel pursues it, she should have a great size class to work with.

Will was adorable, he so wanted to be part of the dance. He looked so cute trying to follow along with the dance steps and hand clapping.

These are some pictures of Hannah's routines. The one in the white jackets is her tap routine, which absolutely rocks the house. The gold/browns are from her hip hop rountine.

These are pictures of Emily's jazz routine. The routine is very cute and upbeat and Emily is center stage for much of the routine.

Here are some pictures of Emily dancing at a couple of our recent dance competitions. These are pictures from her ballet routine "Thieves in the Palace".

Cincinnati Flower Show

Once again this year the kids decided to enter container in the Cincinnati Flower Show. I was so impressed with how beautiful the entries turned out! We dropped them off Thursday night but I didn't have time to post about it until now!

Grant's Farm and Greenhouse donated all of the flowers for our window boxes. With Hannah, Emily, Grant, Cade and Sophie all doing boxes, I probably walked away with close to $200 worth of flowers. I can't wait to get them back from the show and put them on our porch!

One top of the window boxes, some of the kids chose to make creative containers. Hannah did a beautiful arrangement in a stick basket. Emily did a small succulent garden in an old tabletop fountain that no longer worked. Grant opted for a grill again, this time his theme was "Feelin' HOT HOT HOT" and he planted a salsa garden full of tomatos, herbs and peppers. Little Sophie (the youngest enterant in the Jr Green Thumb division) planted a small orange halloween pumpkin (the kind kids go and get candy in when they trick or treat). She is so proud of it.

Two other homeschooling families also joined us. The Lelands and the Hensleys. Their kids also did window boxes and creative containers. I can't wait to find out how well the containers did in the judging. They looked just GORGEOUS when we dropped them off!

If you happen to make it to the flower show at Coney Island, the containers are in the second tent (just past the grand marque tent). When entering the tent they are to the left of the madri gras area, on the back wall. They are set up in front of decorative doorways. Sophie's little orange pumpkin should be easy to spot, or maybe it will be Grant's grill, complete will painted flames that gets your attention!

Friday's Sew Fun
April 21, 2006
Following Wild Oats Tour (roughly 1 PM -3 PM)
Pajama Bottoms!

What to bring: Three yards of fabric of your choice (nothing stretchy, just the regular fabric that we always use for everything else is fine). 2 yards of 3/4" wide elastic (give or take).

After we finished the tour of Wild Oats, I grabbed the kids lunch at Wendy's and we headed to Melodie's for sewing. The kids made PJ bottoms. The group seemed to work well, we had a machine for each kid and Josh (Melodie's oldest) had finished up most of the work on his before we got there, so we could look at them as a prototype. True, Emily and Hannah have become old hands at sewing. Sarah joined us for the first time and it was impressive how well her project turned out. What was most impressive was than in just about 2 hours we managed to cut pants from a pattern, sew them, hem them and MODEL them (picture to be posted soon).

On the ride home, we all decided it was definitely EASIER and possibly even CHEAPER to buy pj bottoms at OLD NAVY but we had a blast learning a new skill! Hannah even wore hers to the dance studio to model them for her friends!

Photo added 4-25: From left to right: True, Sarah, Emily, Hannah, and Josh

Friday, April 21; 10:30 - 11:30
Tour of Wild Oats - Hyde Park/Norwood Store
2693 Edmonson Road Cincinnati,Ohio 45209
Cost: Free
All Ages invited to participate
Max: 35 people
Required wavier: www.FieldTripFactory.com look at the top under "Materials Needed"
Rsvp by April 17 to Deanne Leland
RSVPs: Leland (3), Riesenberg (8), Hensley (3), Robbins (4), Epping (4), Starr (2), Coz (4), Andrew/Light (2)

The tour, entitled, Be A Natural Shopper! will help children in grades K-8 develop and enhance skills in:
Natural and organic foods
Healthy living and nutrition
Meal planning
Environment
Mathematics
Career planning
Decision making
Trip amenities include:
Free samples of healthy foods and beverages.
Free student goodie bags with souvenirs from their trip

For a FREE tour this completely ROCKED! Not only was it extremely informative, but we got to sample lots of goodies along the way including smoothies, sushi, chocolate soy milk, make your own trail mix, honey tangerines, ornages, stawberries, cheesecake, cracker with spread...I am sure I am forgetting something! We ended up with a bag full of samples to take home (cereal, macaroni and cheese, gummy snack, natural laundry soap). I can't wait to go back when I have some extra money and do some shopping! The only thing I ended up buying was some sushi for lunch!

Cade wins at Homeschool Architecture Program!

This year was the first year that we participated in the Achitecture by Children (ABC) program. The theme this year was for the kids to design their own museum. They could either build their museum out of things like boxes, toilet paper rolls, foam board and the like or they could submit 2-D floorplans for their museum. Our original plan had been to build the museum but when Cade sat down with me and told me what he wanted on each FLOOR of the museum (he had 3 floors in his head) we opted to go the 2-D route. Although his idea of a pontoon boat ride on the thrid floor was a bit unrealistic, his overall plan was pretty impressive, especially when you consider he just turned 6 years old. He even included a piece of countertop that looked like alligator skin and green paint chip samples. I guess all those museum visits he has made in his short life have had an impact on him. He was so cute when they announced he won, he went running up to the architect that was our advisor looking for his "prize". He didn't realize that it just meant that his project got to move on to the finals at the downtown library! Jacob designed a basketball museum, Grant a baseball museum and Emily a sculpture museum. They were all so proud of Cade they didn't seem to mind that their projects didn't advance in the competition.

His project will be on display at the Main Library downtown Cincinnati for the next week. If you live in the area it might be fun to go check the museums out. All the winning entries from all over the area will be on display. The overall winner will be picked on April 25th with awards presented on April 29th!

Here are his plans:

Cade's Crocodilian Museum
My museum would include:
Display area for all 23 Crocodilian species which would include life size models, photographs and detailed information on AMERICAN ALLIGATOR, CHINESE ALLIGATOR, SPECTACLED CAIMAN, BROAD-SNOUTED CAIMAN, JACARÉ CAIMAN, BLACK CAIMAN,,CUVIER'S DWARF CAIMAN, SCHNEIDER'S DWARF CAIMAN, AMERICAN CROCODILE, SLENDER-SNOUTED CROCODILE, ORINOCO CROCODILE, AUSTRALIAN FRESHWATER CROCODILE, PHILIPPINE CROCODILE, MORELET'S CROCODILE, NILE CROCODILE, NEW GUINEA CROCODILE, MUGGER, ESTUARINE CROCODILE, CUBAN CROCODILE, SIAMESE CROCODILE, AFRICAN DWARF CROCODILE, FALSE GHARIAL and INDIAN GHARIAL

Interative Habitat Area with Map: Did you know...? Crocodiles are found in 91 countries in the world - 51% of all countries. These 91 countries have a combined human population of 4.7 billion people (in 1999) which is 78% of the total world population. 3 out of 4 people have crocodilians living in their country. Sit in a crocodile's nest, navigate through the Everglades on a boat and encounter "mock gators".

Interactive Anatomy Area: including such items as live sized alligator, caimen and crocodile jaws side by side for comparision. Also Taxidermied animals for examination.

Crocodilian Conservation Area: Displays on the importance of conservation and reasons to stop hunting and poaching.

Tanks with rehab crocodilian

Learning Lab: offering classes and workshops on crocodilian

Restrooms

Croc Cafe: restaurant featuring family friendly menu and reasonable priced refresments. Includes picnic area for families that prefer to bring in their own food.

Gator Gifts: gift shop featuring crocodilian related merchandise. All conservation concious!

Crocodilian Themed play area

Vending area with tables

Office Space for Museum Staff

Grant turns 10!

Those with double digits ages now officially outnumber those with single digit ages in our household! Grant turned the MAGIC 1-0 today! He surprised me when he asked that I make cornbeef, mashed potatoes and green beans as his birthday meal (the kids can chose whatever they want for dinner on their birthday, most chose to go out to their favorite restaurant). His gift requests were simple, a GBA game, wrestling guy and a pair of sliding shorts for baseball.

Grant was thrilled that he got to hang out with his friend Chris for part of his birthday even if it was at the community gardens and at baseball practice. He lead the highs and lows at dinner. I love hearing what was the best and the worst part of everyone's day!

Grant was born on the one year anniversary of the OKC bombing. The day of the bombing I was shell-shocked. I remember spending so much of the day sombing, surrounds by my three small children. At one point I laid on the couch, nursing Emily and I fell asleep. I had the oddest dream. My husband's aunt who had died when I was pregnant with Brett (she had been a nun) appeared to me, holding a baby in a blue blanket in her arms. I assumed the baby was my nephew Jack who had been stillborn a year or so before Brett was born. Sister Hilda told me that it was OK to grieve today, but that next year I would rejoice on this date. So fast forward a bit...we move to a new house and a few months later I realize I am PREGNANT! I go to the doctor and we do all the calculations, including a dating ultrasound and everything agrees that our newest addition is due May 17th. I half joking say something like "that date doesn't matter. This baby will be born on April 19th". The doctor just laughs. I think he was a bit more freaked out than I was when I went into labor on April 18th and delievered Grant at 1 AM on April 19th.

Jacob is 8!

Jacob turned 8 today! I felt so bad, we didn't get to go out with our friends for lunch because I was stuck down at the hospital taking my dad to have some test run. Jacob always seems to be the kid that things don't go right for. He always ends up on the sports team with the mediocre coach (or worse yet a loud mouthed redneck), the one who plans always get put on hold for, the kid who's birthday lunch get cancelled!

He took it well! We went out to dinner. He opened his presents (a gameboy game, some wrestling guys and a wiffle ball bat) and the money his two grandmas sent him is burning a hole in his pocket!

Jacob was my longest labor, just over 36 hours. I was so tired by the time it came to push, he really delivered himself, I had no energy left. I had tested group B strep positive when pregnant with him and although they treated me with IV antibiotics, he looked septic when he was born. They rushed him to the intensive care unit and hooked him up to IV antibiotics and ran blood tests. The lab they sent the bloodwork to caught fire that night (see what I mean about Jacob's luck???). He spent 3 days on antibiotics before they decided that most likely didn't have group B strep.

Happy Birthday Jacob!

An EGGSTRA Fun Day!

Today we had our annual Easter egg hunt with our homeschool group. The weather was GORGEOUS and we ended up with 5 teens doing the work and about 40 hunters. The kids had a BLAST. After the egg hunt, we had a bakesale and a raffle (we raised close to $60 for a future event). I had to leave at noon to go and get my dad from dialysis, but I am so fortunate to have two great teenagers and so many wonderful friends that made sure everything ran smoothly in my absence! I came back to the park after getting my dad and we ended up hanging out until after 3 PM. The kids LOVED just getting to play on the playground.

Will was so cute during the hunt, carefully walking around and picking up eggs. Sophie would shake every egg before she put it in her basket, so she ended up putting down any with stickers or a special prize ticket in them because they didn't make noise. What is so great with the homeschoolers is that no one thought it was strange that the kids over 10 still wanted to hunt eggs.

I got some many positive comments from those that attended that it really made me feel good about going to the effort to have the hunt. To see so many happy kids, relaxed parents (and grandparents) does ones heart good!

We brought our ladder golf game with us. It was a big hit with the kids. Deanne and I think we may have the kids work on making more of them to sell at a local craft fair.


The details:
What: Easter Egg Hunt
When: Thursday, April 13; 11am Egg Hunters/10am TeensEaster Egg hunt & Raffle!!!
Where: Miami Riverview Park 587 Branch Hill-Loveland Rd Loveland, OH
Who: EVERYONE including teens!
Cost: Free
Organizer: Laura Riesenberg

Come and join us for one of our favorite and best attended events! The hunt is open to ANYONE who wants to hunt for Easter eggs (regardless of age). I also need teens to come early (around 10 AM) to help stuff and hide eggs. Donations for PEANUT FREE and NON CHOCOLATE candies or other small prizes are much appreciated. We ask for safety reasons that candy be individually wrapped. Little bags of skittles, individual bags of jelly beans, ring pops, small size airheads, small boxes of nerds, those safety suckers are just a few suggestions. Small toys (like stickers, bracelets, necklaces and whistles) also work, but please avoid those small bouncy balls as they are a choking hazard. We will even have a couple of prize eggs that will win a special Easter basket! The hunt will start around 11 AM. Plan to picnic and play following the hunt.

Bring your quarters! We will have both a bake sale and a raffle. We need donations for the raffle. Anyone unwanted items for our WHITE ELEPHANT raffle are appreciated.....games your kids have outgrown, puzzles, food, books, old happy meal toys, stuffed animals, toys, home decor items...your "trash" is someone elses treasure...anyone who has been part of one of the raffles before has seen that a two liter of pop sometimes goes before something that is significantly more valuable! Bring raffle items with you and place on the raffle table when you get there! Donations for the bake sale are also appreciated! Profits from the raffle and bakesale will be used to offset the cost of future H2H activities.

RSVP to Laura Riesenberg. If you decide at the last minute to join us, that is fine, there is no need to RSVP, but it is helpful for us in getting a count as to how many hunters we will have.

Directions: Take I-275 to exit #52 (Loveland/Indian Hill) and turn LEFT at the bottom of the exit ramp. Follow to the first road on the right (Hopewell) and turn RIGHT onto HOPEWELL. Follow about .3 mile to Branch Hill-Loveland Rd and turn LEFT onto BRANCH HILL-LOVELAND RD. Follow about 1.5 miles to the park entrance on your RIGHT. MIAMI RIVERVIEW PARK. We will meet near the playground.

Colossus Dies!
Colossus, the showcase 40 year old western lowland silverback gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, died Tuesday morning while undergoing a root canal and routine physical. He never came out of the anesthesia and is believed to have died from Cardiac arrest. See the full story: http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AE/20060412/NEWS01/604120344/-1/CINCI

This news made me quite sad, as Colossus was one of our favorite attractions at the zoo. I don't think we have ever visited the zoo and not stopped to see the gorillas. One of my favorite gorilla memories was visiting the zoo a few years back with the kids and while we were in the gorilla exhibit on of the young females kept throwing huge clumps of dirt and plant material at all the on lookers. She just found it hilarious and Colossus just kept sitting there looking on. You could tell he thought her antics were rather entertaining!

It will be sad to visit the zoo and not see the 500 lb gentle giant!

Brotherly love!

On Friday we went and toured Paul Brown Stadium with a group of our friends. One of the neatest part of the tour was that we actaully got to "take the field" on the new field turf! The kids played in the endzone (wish I had known in advance, I would have brought a football) and a friend of mine snapped this picture of Brett "tackling" William.

Happy 6th Birthday Cade!

It is hard to believe that merely 6 years ago my bright eyed, inquisitive son entered this world at this very moment. His delivery was by far my most tramatic and scary. His shoulders got wedged after we had delivered his head and he spent 8 minutes stuck, without oxygen. I will never forget looking between my legs and seeing my OB crying or overhearing her hushed words to the nurse to "get the chaplin, we've lost him". In a last ditch effort, thinking he was already dead, she wedged her hand in, snapped his arm and yanked him out. Limp, blue, lifeless they worked on him and then this faint squeak (it wasn't even a cry) came from the corner of the room. As the chaplin walked in, my son gasped for his first breath!

Today, to look at him, you would never know what a tramatic entrance he had into this world! He will tell you that the "stupid doctor broked my arm" when he was born. I really can't imagine my world without him!

So today we celebrate with a raspberry cheesecake from Jerry's Cheesecake and a few gifts. A gameboy that he has been asking for since Christmas, a couple wrestling figures and a bag of gummy bears!

Happy Birthday, Cade!

Granny's Homeschool Garden Program resumes!

We had to postpone our original starting date for the gardens because vandals DESTROYED the courtyard gardens, but today we were able to get our hands back in the soil! It was so great to see everyone again!

Granny kept the kids busy! First they filled in a hole, then they carried "black gold" over to the gardens, then we went off to plant our very own HOMESCHOOL GARDEN BEDS! We planted potatoes, peas, lettuce, radishes and a few other "early" crops. It will be so exciting to watch the gardens bloom and grow and so tasty to eat our produce!

Pictures are posted below!

Will decided to attend the gardening program with us today! It is hard to believe how much he has grown since we last were in the gardens in the fall. No longer a "baby" he is now a busy toddler, eager to try to help plant and dig. Hard to believe that he wasn't even a year old the first time we visited the gardens!

Part of the group hanging around after hiking the nature trail!

Planting peas in the garden beds. The homeschool group has 3 beds that they are responsible for planting and maintaining!

Listening to Granny tell them how to plant potatoes. Will just had to be part of it all!

Putting the boys to work shoveling mulch!

Hannah (in grey) with her friend Sarah who is holding Marly, the daughter of the family that hosted the geography fair at their house. Can you believe that they have an AUDITORIUM in their house? Sarah did an AWESOME altered book on England (you can see it laying on the table to her right). Hannah is blocking her project on Ireland!

Cade(in grey) with his friend Chris at the Homeschool Geography Fair. Obviously chopsticks are more fun when played with!

The bear

Cade brought the class bear home from Sunday School today. They are supposed to keep the bear with them for a week and "teach" him things that are important. So I asked Cade what he plans to teach the bear...

Cade: Not to bite and not to fight.

Me: Is there anything else you are going to teach him?"

Cade pauses and thinks for about 30 seconds and replies: "Screw the rest of it"

I burst our laughing. Brett burst out laughing. Hannah burst out laughing. Jay didn't find it as funny as we did! Proof in the moment of just how much of everything a child absorbs!

Bear is now sleeping! Cade plans to teach him a computer game once I get off line so he can play. I can't wait to see what he has to write down at the end of the week about Bear's adventures in the Riesenberg house.

What: Geography Fair and POTLUCK!!
When: Sunday, March 12; 3pm
Where: The Coz Home
Organizer: Laura Riesenberg
What to Bring: Your project, stamp/sticker for marking passports, a dish to share, drinks for your family

Come bring your family to an afternoon of "visiting" other countries in a fun way. At the start of the geography fair, we will hand out passports and each "traveller" get their passports stamped as they visit each country/display.

The following countries are being represented: Austria, Australia, China (2), Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark. Egypt (3), England (2), Galapagos Islands, India (3), Ireland, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, Mexico (2), Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Scotland, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine (2)

To participate: Each child (or family, it can be a group project) choses a country and makes up a presentation on that country. Let your imagination be your guide: Cool things to share/explore about your country would be postal stamps, Currency, Embassy packages, Flags, Costumes and Folktales. The great thing about this opportunity is that any age child can participate and present their research to the best of their abilities. No competing!

Each participant must bring a stamp or stickers to use to mark the "visitors" passports (plan on stamping about 45 passports). If you can't find something to use, contact Laura at theriesenbergs@cinci.rr.com and let her know.

We are also asking that participants bring a dish representative of their country to share(this can be as simple as chips and salsa or as elaborate as your cooking abilities allow!). We will have an international potluck as part of our event. Plates, silverware and napkins will be provided. Please bring drinks for your family.

Families who do not want to make displays but still want to come and participate and "travel" are welcome, consider bringing a dessert or some kid friendly (peanut free) munchies to share.

This event was SO MUCH FUN and so very well attended. 29 kids displayed projects on the country of their choice. Every project was very well done and showed the diversity of the children participating. Hannah presented Ireland, Emily, the Galapagos Islands, Grant, the Ukraine, Jacob, the Philippines, Cade, Mexico and Sophie China! Julieanne took pictures of all the projects, I can't wait for her to send them to me! One of the girls, Jessie, did an awsome display for the Ukraine that included the beautiful Ukrainian eggs and nesting dolls. Another girl came dressed representing her country, Holland, including the wooden shoes!

The kids (and a few of the overgrown kids...aka ADULTS) loved going around to each display and having their passport stamped. It was neat to see what stamps they chose to represent their countries! One family even made their own stamps using an eraser and diminisional paint/glue. A very creative and inexpensive idea!

The food was divine! I actually found a recipe for rice muffins that my friend Julieanne (who is allergic to wheat, corn and various other things) could eat. I just LOVED the sushi and Indian dish, but absolutely EVERYTHING tasted great! What more could you ask for? Great food, good company and a little bit of learning thrown in!

Inspirational!

My friend Amber, that helps oversee the junior greenthumb program for the annual Cincinnati Flower Show, called me this morning. She wanted to let me know about some upcoming dates for picking up planters and planting flowers and also had an interesting tidbit to share with me.

Last night she went to this HUGE unveiling event for the flower show, where they release the promotional artwork/poster for the show. She said that this french artist did the work and that it was gorgeous. One of the guests asked him where he got the inspiration for the piece from and he responded that last year when he was walking through the flower show that there was this grill planted with vegetables called "Cheeseburger in progress".....HOLY CRAP...that was GRANT'S CONTAINER! An artist was inspired by something that my 8 year old son dreamed up and planted. The shocking thing was that until Amber told him, he had NO IDEA that the container he found so inspiring was planted by an 8 year old boy!

Of course, I find inspiration in my children each and every day, but to know they inspired someone else, well that is pretty amazing!

I can't wait to see the poster!

A friend sent me this email/story and I just had to post it!


A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them. "Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs . . I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch.! With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

" And after that?" asked the Mexican.

With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well, my Friend, That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

And the moral is: Know where you're going in life....you may already be there.

As typically happens anytime I get down on my life, something comes about that makes me realize that things aren't as bad as they could be.

Late Tuesday night, I received an email from a friend of mine telling me that another homeschooling mom that I know died suddenly Sunday of what they think was an abcess on her ovary that got into her bloodsteam. Michelle attended numerous park programs with her beautiful son Nathan. I can't even imagine the pain that poor boy is dealing with right now. The news makes me reflect, wonder, ponder what would happen if my children lost me. It makes me cry!

There is going to be a memorial service and funeral on Saturday. Some of the moms are working on a scrapbook for Nathan. I plan to have the kids make some cards so that Nathan knows we are covering him in prayer and that if there is any other way we can help him that we are here for him.

It has been one of those "school years" that have really made me reflect on my own mortality and the mortality of those around me....a friend's diagnosis of cancer/subsequent hysterectomy in December, a former homeschooling mom dying of cancer back in January, one of the moms on an unschooling list I am on losing her daughter, Hannah, to luekemia in February and now Michelle dying in March.

So today I will be positive and grateful not only for my own life, but that of my husband, children, family and friends. I will not complain about getting my dad from dialysis. I will not complain about all the running that needs to be done (dance, uniform fittings, baseball practice, vet). I will remember what Hannah's mom would give to have a "bad" and busy day with her daughter or what Nathan would give to have another "park program" with his mother. Today I will dream like I will live forever, but live as though I may die tomorrow.

Mercury and Jupiter in retrograde.....

I knew something must be up when the usually laid back homeschool group I am part of seemed to be in turmoil over what I thought was absolutely nothing, well at least in the beginning it was nothing, but then the founder of the group reworded the vision statement and I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.....

She was upset that a new mom "complained" because some of the parents at an event used "adult" language....so she amended the vision statement to say "does not tolerate negativity, cursing in front of children, backstabbing or complaining"....of course when I posted the following in response to the changes, she felt I was attacking her, honestly I was just offering some food for thought....after all where does one's right to not be offended end???

My response:

I think that changing the vision statement is a bit of an over reaction here and honestly see it as being a slippery slope that I personally don't want to start down. Like I mentioned to J, M and D what happens next???....what if say someone came to the gym or another activity who is"offended" by lesbians and a lesbian was there ( not sure if there are any in ***, nor do I care)...would a "only hetrosexual policy" be put in place? What about someone who thinks having a child out of wedlock or being a single parent or being divorced is a sin...would we need to adopt a "only two- parent family"(of course meaning a MAN and a WOMAN) policy? What if someone starts coming to events that is "offended" by breastfeeding or the sight of a bear breast? Should we all have to retreat to the bathroom to nurse and cover up so that they aren't uncomfortable...would a "no public nursing" policy be put into place? What if someone came who was "offended" by the way some of us discipline or don't discipline....would a"discipline policy" be put in place? What about those who are "appauled"that unschoolers don't use a curriculum...would *** adopt a mandatory curriculum for all members? What about those that think having large families is "irresponsible" or those that think having an only child is"wrong"? You can't please everyone.... This really is a slippery slope......where would the right to not be offended end?

Honestly, as the new vision statement is worded, I doubt that I can upholdsuch a high ideal. It is hard to not be negative or complain when dealingwith a sick and dying parent. It is hard to not complain when there isn't enough money to put food on the table or pay the electric bill. It is hard to not be negative when you feel your world is falling apart around you. I have always felt, like J said, that *** is a place of relaxed friendship and I hate to lose that because the vision changes. I am feeling a bit sad, and I am sure that the wording of this email probably isn't as gentle as it could be. It is hard to watch something I care about seem to be in such turmoil over what seems to be something so minor.

OK, so I really don't see the above as an attack, like I said, food for thought. If you are going to "react" and change the entire vision statement becuase someone is upset, then how do you decide what merits changes and what doesn't? And to follow "will not tolerate" with negative and complaining, is very ambiguous...there must be a clearer way to articulate what is meant by such words.

My friend pointed out that Mercury and Venus are both in retrograde, which apparently has a lot to do with miscommunication! So maybe I would be best served by keeping my mouth shut and dusting off some astrology books (OK I would have to go out and buy them to dust them off!).

Basketball season draws to a close......

I will probably sound bitter, but the refs sucked....the one ref only blew his whistle ONCE and it was to call a foul that should have been on Jackson (kid on our team) but instead he blew the whistle and stood there for a minute, looked around and called out Grant's number (Grant wasn't even by the play, it was at the bottom of the left hand side of the key and Grant was at the top)...so Grant fouled out of the game with 2 minutes left...you should have heard the roar for our stands in protest and the other teams in glee.....the kid went to the line and got the game within 2 points......then the kid Jay had to sub in for Grant got flustered and turned over the ball....All Saints (opponent) went down and tied the game....it went to overtime.....10 secs left in overtime the ref (who had called almost exclusively for All Saints the whole game...come on team fouls of 16 to 4 at the end of the game, we are talking 4th graders here and All Saints is very aggressive) calls a foul at midcourt (minimal contact...could have been a block could have been a charge...could have gone either way..but it was the kind of thing she had let go the entire game) that put their best free throw shooter at the line.....All Saints won by 2!

I just hate it when the refs decide the game....it is one thing to lose because you aren't as good of a team, but another becuase the refs mess up! Grant was really upset right after the game, but he got over it pretty quickly! Jay did better with the loss than I expected he would!

Anyhow...now I have that out of my system! Today we rest! Baseball starts Monday!

The season continues....

Grant's team will play in the final 4 game at 11 AM today!

Last night's game was a real nail biter, the game was tied 20-20 with 0.5 secs left on the clock when Grant was fouled and put on the line. He missed the first of his free throws, but the second was NOTHIN' BUT NET!

The other team was so bushleague...the PARENTS actually SCREAMED at the top of their lungs when Grant went to make his freethrows and the assistant coach YELLED as Grant threw up the first one. I screamed at the coach to sit down and he FLIPPED ME OFF! Can you believe it? I hope it made him feel better about losing! Since our entire bleacher saw the incident, it has been reported, chances are if it gets pursued the jerk won't get to coach next year......

Off to get dressed! I have butterflies...wonder how Grant is feeling!

Our newest family member

The newest member of our family joined us Wednesday night, thanks to our friend Julieanne.

Louie is a GORGEOUS purebred male boxer. He is a brindle, big, boufy, dumb! He is about a year old.

We are absolutely in love with him! Poor little guy has had a lot of changes in the last week and is terrified to be alone. He actually DESTROYED his crate trying to get out he was so afraid of being left! So for now we will have to "attachment parent" him......eventually he will gain that independent spirit that all attachment children seem to be infused with.....at least I hope he does!

Dealing with Dad

Just as I do every Tuesday and Thursday, I have to plan my life (and that of my children) around transporting my dad home from dialysis. Now this might not seem like a big deal, actually in theory it seems like a very simple task, but it ISN'T! And quite honestly I am getting a bit sick of it.

Take today for example. Brett was going to go over to his friend, Christopher's, house so that they could work on their physics assignments together. I planned to drop him off around 11:30, go and get dad at noon and then pick Brett back up at 1:30 PM, giving me plenty of time to get my dad settled and fed after dialysis. After picking Brett up at 1:30, we would head to the Loveland Library to pick up Hannah, Emily, Grant, Jacob, Cade and Sophie who where going to attend the 1 PM program they were hosting on Maple Sugaring (Jay dropped them off when he took his lunch break). Sounds like a completely doable plan right? Like I had left myself plenty of time to get everywhere and make everyone happy right? NOT!

So I get Brett to Christopher's right on schedule. I even have enough time to stop at the mall and pick up some perfume Hannah wanted to give her friend Alex for her birthday. I pull into the lot at the dialysis center at 12:10 PM, a few minutes "late" but that shouldn't be a big deal. I walk in and Libby (one of the patient's wives) says that dad is still in the back. I smile and tell her that I have Will in the van and if she could just pull the blinds up when dad comes out. Will had a bit of a snotty nose and I hate to take him in the center when he is sick since so many of the patients have compromised immune systems....Well, I go back to the car, listen to a few songs, clean out some trash (note I said SOME, not ALL) and I keep looking at the window for the shade to move. At 12:40 (a full 1/2 hour after getting there) I walk back in and still no dad...there is NEVER anyone at the desk to ask questions of, so I walk back out the van....sit there 15 more minutes, at this point Will is SCREAMING, he hates his carseat, so I finally unbuckle him and walk back into the center, despite the runny nose. Still no dad! FINALLY at 1 PM the nurse who has walked out to get another patient, says he will be out in a couple of minutes. At 1:10 PM I get him in the van and am heading towards his house. He asks me to get him a burger from Wendy's and asks where the kids are. I tell him and say I have to leave as soon as I get to his house because I have to get them, he gets all weepy......it isn't like I haven't just wasted an hour sitting in a parking lot waiting on him....God forbid I keep him waiting...if he actually gets done on time (noon) and I am not there, he complains the whole way home and then complains to my mom on the phone.....he makes me feel GUILTY for needing to take care of my own kids!

So I give in.....I get him home, into the house, make the rest of his lunch, help him change into his comfortable clothes, tape up all his "tubes", let him eat, get him settled and walk out his door at 1:50 PM. I dash over to get Brett and then make the 20 minute drive to the library. Luckily when I walk in Hannah is looking at books, the kids are behaving and my friend Deanne is still hanging out talking to the naturalist who presented the program. It was nice that she had waited on me to get the kids (although Hannah is prefectly capable of handling them) especially since I hadn't even known that she was going to be at the program.

I know I sound like a total bitch, but damn it when I said I would drive my dad to dialysis 2x a week back in July I NEVER thought I would still be doing it as March rolled in. Don't get me wrong, I am so happy my dad is fighting his cancer and that the dialysis seems to be working, but don't you think that maybe, just once my brother (who works from 4 PM to 11 PM and has NO KIDS) could step in and at least OFFER to pick the man up? It is truely like being an only child, only not being able to reap the benefits (believe me, my brother is the first one over there to get anything FREE!). I know dad appreciates it (despite his complaining if I am not there exactly at noon or if I bring "too many" of the kids with me) but I am feeling very underappreciated! My brother better watch out though...with all the time I have put in with dad, he better not be surprised if he can't "find" me when it comes to dealing with my mom in her old age! ROFL....maybe that would make it all worth it!

So the good thing about having 8 kids....at least they will be able to share the burden of their ailing parents, even if one of them ends up being a complete boob like my brother, there will still be 7 of them to chip in!

And now I am counting the months until Brett has his license...Grandpa duty can be his and I will pay him generously to do it!

Marching onward to the Elite Eight!

Grant's basketball team won a nailbiter of a game (we were losing going into the 4th quarter) so we will be playing in the Elite Eight once again this year! The team Grant plays with is very talented, unlike teams in the past where he has had to be "the" player in order for them to win. A perfect example would be that he only scored 2 points in todays game (far below his usual average) yet the team still pulled out a victory. I can't wait until next Friday night's game, although I am thinking I might need an inhaler, since I could barely breath during the game today! The coach for the opposing team was hilarious to watch, I honestly thought he might stroke out at one point, he was so frustrated when we pulled ahead!

So the basketball season continues on...hopefully I will be posting about a final 4 or championship game appearance this time next week....but I don't want to jinx us or anything!

2022 Olympian???

Today I took the kids (minus Hannah who was babysitting) ice skating with our homeschooling friends over at the Northern Kentucky Ice Center. When we got to the rink the kids were busy putting on their skates and Will (almost 20 months) sat on the ground, pulled his gym shoes off and went over and stood at the window to try to get the desk attendant to give him skates. I guess he figured that was were everyone else was getting their "skoos" and he wanted to get some too! I picked him up and told him "no, babies can't skate" and he started to cry (OK it was more an ear piercing scream). The guy at the desk was so sweet, he smiles and says "I have a pair of little skates if he wants to play with them" and he hands them to me, they had to be the tiniest skates I have ever seen....well Will INSISTS I put them on his feet. He patiently sat there and let me get them on him. Then he STANDS up and WALKS (without falling) over to the ice.....he made it around the rink 3 times (with Emily holding his hand) without falling and then he continued to walk in the skates without a mishap for another hour (Grant on the other hand damn near broke his jaw in a collision with a couple of teens, the medic for the hockey team that practices there even came out and looked at his jaw, cheek and teeth to make sure we didn't need to go to the ER).

So you can all say you knew him way back when he was a baby when he makes the 2022 US Olympic Speed Skating team!

Oh, and I FORGOT my camera and none of my friends had cameras with them, so I had to run down to Walgreens and get a cheapy disposable, but at least I should have some pictures to share eventually!

Sophie also really took to the ice, she pushed this bucket around in front of her to keep herself from falling, but she really had a blast (except her hands and feet were COLD!). It is unbelievable how comfortable all the kids are on the ice, and the only other time most of them skated was back in December at Holiday Fest at the Beach!

Team Showcase

The annual kickoff to our dance season occurred this past weekend. It is called the team showcase and each of the competition routines from our studio preform that day. The studio owner hires professional dancers to come in and judge/critic the routines and then we will spend the next few weeks fine tuning them before we have our first official competition.

Emily has 3 routines this year, an acro/dance number, a ballet number and a jazz number. Because of our typically hectic schedule I hadn't really seen any of her rountines in their totality. When I saw my daughter on stage, I almost burst with pride! She has this new air about her, this confidence, there is really no way to explain it. She has finally come out of her shell! I don't know if it was her experience with the Nutcracker, the wonderful new ballet teacher or the new acro team she joined, but the child was just beaming. She danced beautifully and looked so much like she "belonged" in the spotlight! I think Hannah was as proud of her as I was, she kept seeing "did you see her? did you see her?". Even though I think her jazz routine is far too easy for her skill level, it is nice that she is center stage almost the entire time! Guess her instructor thinks she is worthy of the position!

Hannah is doing a hiphop and a tap routine this year. Hannah always has fun on stage and looks like she enjoys herself. I really like her tap routine, haven't made a decision about her hiphop routine, there are a couple girls on the team that are new to competitive dance and it shows, but I do think that it is something that will get better with time!

The only bad thing was that I had brought Sophie up to watch the girls and right before Hannah came on stage for the first time (our second routine of the day) she covers her mouth and screams "I'm gotta PUKE!"....I grabbed her and ran her outside just in time for her to puke in the grass! Jay ended up taking her home along with the boys, so he only got to see 3 of the girls routines (OK bad mom here, we watched Hannah's routine and the next one of Em's ...only 10 minutes later...before Jay left!).

Next Monday, Jacqui Haas is coming from the Cincinnati Ballet to evaluate the girls on the ballet team to see if they are ready to begin pointe. This is a HUGE deal, met with great apprehension by Emily! She REALLY wants to start pointe and has been working hard on her turnout, but she also knows that most girls are ready for pointe until at least 12 or 13. I will be interested to hear if Jacqui thinks she is anywhere close to being ready! It will be so hard for her if the other girls in her pre-pointe class get approved to move to pointe and she doesn't! I know that Jacqui knows best, guess we just have to wait and see! I just wish the instructor (Miss Viki) would give us an idea if she thinks she is ready or not, but she is keeping very closed lipped about it all (I don't think she wants to get the girls hopes up!).

Snow much fun!

Snowtubing at Perfect North has become an annual event that my kids really look forward to. Cade had himself dressed and ready to go at 10 AM, even though I kept explaining that we wouldn't be leaving until 3 PM. He kept running around the house telling me how many minutes it was until we would be leaving (OK, so I guess that counts as math for a 5 year old right?). I busied myself making a big pot of vegetable soup and getting together all the odds and ends you need to snowtube.....gloves, hats, snowpants, coats time 8 people! Jay agreed to stay home with Will (you need to be 3 to snowtube)! Our friends, the Lelands, rode with us, it was so great to have another adult to talk to on the long drive!

We got to Perfect North at exactly 4 PM, despite my slight "detour" where I ended up on 74 instead of staying on 275. With our move last spring, it meant a new right to the slopes so I got a bit directionally impaired! The kids were so excited when they saw the hills! The snow was a bit wet but that didn't stop them from attacking the hill!

I had been worried about Sophie but she alsolutely LOVED it. She trudged up the hill and across the snow, little red snowtube in tow. It was pure delight to watch her little face as she went down the hills. She even went to the top of the biggest hill to make a long chain! I was so shocked, she just tackled the entire thing! Every time when we could get to the bottom she would catch her breath and say "can we go again?".

As the night progressed and the temp dropped to the middle 30's, the hills got icier and icier and therefore faster and faster...it was an absolute BLAST! We just FLEW down the hills!

I brought soup, rolls, sandwiches, hot chocolate and a bunch of snacks (fruit snacks, fruit cups, cookies and crackers). The kids DEVOURED every bit of it! Tubing seems to make them EXTREMELY hungry! Next year I will have to pack at least twice as much hot chocolate mix and extra fruit!

On the ride home, Deanne and I talked alot about how people precieve unschoolers. We both have encountered people who think unschooling = unparenting, and that couldn't be further from the truth. Because unschoolers let children follow their passions, they tend to be some of the most involved parents around. Just because they aren't cracking an academic whip over their children doesn't mean they aren't invoved in what is going on. Of course it is always easy to have a converstaion with someone who shares your views!

Photos added 2/26:

Sophie and Laura at the bottom of the snowtube run! Sophie always said "do it again" when we would get to the bottom!











Hannah, Brett and Sarah at the top of the snowtubing run!

Our family is growing!


OK, before you all completely FREAK OUT and think I have lost my mind and gone and gotten myself PREGNANT, take a deep breath! The newest addition to our family will walk on all fours and may or may not have a tail! As part of Hannah's birthday present we decided to cave into her desire for a dog! Yes, a dog!

We have applied through the greater Ohio Boxer Rescue (www.goboxerrescue.com) to have an adorable boxer boy (or girl) join our family! Our friend Julieanne and hours of internet research led us to the conclusion that a boxer would be the prefect dog for our energetic family!

Now mind you, as I spend over an hour filling out the application to adopt this dog, I began to wonder....heck I had managed to have 8 kids and no one ever asked me how I planned to feed them or discipline them, no one asked if I was financially stable, no one asked where they were going to sleep and no one EVER asked for any references (eek...I can only imagine what kind of reference my mother would have given..ROFL!). Jay said you could probably adopt a kid with a less detailed questionaire!

So if things go well and they "approve" our application, Hannah should be getting her boxer soon! Of course I also realize that Emily will probably be clamouring for her own dog come her birthday..and I can tell she is already working on her arguments to defend her plea....what kind of can of worms have I opened?????

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH!

My firstborn daughter is 14 today, where has the time gone? I can't believe that it has been 14 years since she hurried into this world (my shortest of all labors at 55 minutes!). She gets more beautiful by the day! I guess I could get all sappy and sentimental here, but I plan to just enjoy this very special day!

I love you baby girl!

Are the Fates conspiring against me?

We woke up this morning to SNOW and according to the tv traffic is at a standstill....so how does this impact someone who typically has nothing to do on a Saturday morning? Well, Hannah and I were supposed to be meeting my mom to go shopping for Hannah's birthday......but because of the weather we are now stuck at home at least for a few more hours!

Why is this noteworthy? Well this is the THIRD time we have tried to make this shopping trip. Time #1 my father's dialysis machine broke down and my mom had to go pick him up, time #2 Grant had a basketball game that I forgot about and now #3 the weather is conspiring against us! It is so hard to find a time we could go out, since my mom refuses to leave my dad at home alone, the only real time she wants to go is on Saturdays from 9 AM to noon.....

Hopefully the traffic on the expressway will start moving and we will get to go! Hannah is eager to spend her grandmother's money (my mom tends to express love in $$ rather then spending time with her grandkids) and I was kind of hoping that mom might take pity on me and buy me a couple of treats too!

Valentine's Day Party
Tuesday, February 14
1 PM to 3 PM

Julieanne wrote:
Laura and I were talking about it - and we were thinking that the kids can make valentines at gym on Monday or at home, and bring them to the party on Tuesday - and we'll have the kids make mailboxes for their valentines at the party. So we're counting rsvps - and it looks like if we bring 24 valentines for each child to give out, that'll be enough for everyone. Dollar store works, or hand making them.. whatever works for you.For example - since I have two kids, we'll bring 48 valentines - so True and Liam would each give 24 out... Make sense? If you have valentines stickers or something to contribute, the kids would love to use them, I'm sure. Does anyone have empty cereal boxes? If so, please bring them with you.If everyone brings a snack to share, and a drink - like a 2 liter or water - then everyone will have something there you know your kid(s) will like - and no single family has to provide everything for the party.So... 1:00 on Tuesday, Feb. 14.... Melodie's house. : ) And just so we all know, Bret's birthday is two days after this party... : )Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions...

Shanda added:
I have a plastic container that has 5 drawers in it that I keep filled with creative things for the kids to use while we're at Museum center meetings. It has watercolor markers, regular sized crayons for the older crowd, larger (but not jumbo) crayons for smaller hands, a drawer of various and sundry stickers, heart doilies and glue sticks. If there aren't going to be enough boxes to go around to make valentines mailboxes, we decorated paper bags one year for valentine collecting. I can bring some of those just in case. It would be great if a few families could bring a few more stickers.
If anyone has purchased valentine's paper products, return them if you're able (except maybe a few plates). Here's what I have: 72 cups, a BAZILLION napkins, about 35 plates.
Heart-themed bowls to put snacks (or whatever) in.
A HUGE container of foam shapes (including hearts!)
A HUGE pack of construction paper
Pink and/or red plastic, DISPOSABLE tablecloths. I would just need to know how many to bring.
Supplies to make foam, star balls. I don't know what the attraction is, but kids LOVE these things. Put 9 pieces of sponge together with a zip tie and you have hours of entertainment!

After getting my dad from dialysis, Emily, Grant, Jacob, Cade, Sophie, Will and I headed to the Valentine's day party. The kids were excited and made valentine's to exchange with all their friends. Sophie got a present together for Bret (a dance costume, tiara, play jewelry, tights, a dance skirt and a bag to put everything in) and the two of them happliy played dress-up the entire time we were there. Emily managed to snag baby Marly and happily cuddled and held her (I think she has the "we need a baby" feeling more than I do!). The kids ATE and made crafts and exchanged cards. There was a nice mix of kids in attendance and even though there were over 20 kids there, there was no crying or whining! The kids played well and the adults managed to socialize. I couldn't believe that my little man decided to "play" rather than hang out with me! He is growing up!

The adults managed to get a tour of the "house in progress" ! The work that is finished is absolutely BEAUTIFUL and the spaces they still need to tranform are HUGE! I am so JEALOUS of all the space and of the beautiful decorating touches they have put on the place. It is going to be great to have this space to use for homeschooling gatherings (She has a whole auditorium on her 2nd floor).

Brett hung out with his pal Christopher when we were at the party. Christopher had surgery on his knee a little less than a week ago and was in need of some cheering up and hanging out! Hannah ended up babysitting so that the mom she babysat for could go to her daughter's Valentine's party at school. It was great that they both had something to do so that the littler kids could enjoy a party just geared for them!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Pioneer Program

I was so excited to find this in my inbox this morning. I have emailed Shelley to try to work out a date that will work for our homeschooling group. We had fun in the past when we visited Caesar's Creek and the new location should add a new twist to the program. I wonder if the same re-enactors will be present at the new location?

Dear Educator,

Every culture in the world requires that young people learn their own history. History provides answers for the future by examining the problems of the past. In essence, it is the study of the problems of human life. Our challenge is to get our youth interested in history at all. When competing with electronic games and television, stories of the past can seem dry, at best.
For several years Frontier Resources has offered a school program designed to capture the interest of the student of Ohio history. The program makes maximum use of Hands-On and interactive learning. We have designed our ‘School Days’ to interest students in early Ohio history to reinforce your classroom efforts.

Frontier Resources is an organization that designs and presents programs to students all over the country. Our specialty is “hands-on history”. Our programs are designed to give your students a taste of the activities, both work and play, of children of early Ohio. These include, but are not limited to:

OXEN- An explanation of the importance of oxen to early America and how children were involved with them is followed by an opportunity for students to try their hand at driving oxen.

SPINNING- An introduction to the problem of cloth supply for the Ohio frontier family involves a chance for students to try to make a piece of yarn.

CHILDREN’S WORK- A view of the importance of children on the frontier while they work to shape a grindstone.

ONE ROOM SCHOOL- An introduction to early nineteenth century learning.

TOWN MEETING- Students experience frontier democracy by taking part in a town meeting and wrestling with a vital issue of the day.

CHILDREN’S GAMES- A look at entertainment on the frontier while students try an outdoor game of the 1800s.

INDENTURED SERVITUDE- Forty percent of the population of Colonial America arrived under terms of indenture. This station examines the lives of the children who found themselves so situated.

This year the program is moving from Caesar’s Creek Pioneer Village, Waynesville, Ohio to Quaker Knoll Campground, Wilmington, Ohio. We also now provide a program that will come to your school.

Our 2006 Spring program runs May 8-12, 15-19 and 22-25, 2006. The 2006 Autumn program is October 3-6, 9-13 and 16-17, 2006. The program takes about 4 hours, running from 9:30 a.m. until 2:00 P.M, or as your busing schedule permits. Cost is $5.00 per student, there is no cost for teachers and chaperones.

Please contact me for more information, or to make your reservation.

Sincerely,
Shelley McClanahan
shelley.mcclanahan@gmail.com
School Days Coordinator

Sewing fun!

By default, I ended up teaching a sewing class today! Our pal Melodie (who taught us to quilt last year) was supposed to help a group of kids work on one of their 4-H sewing projects, but she couldn't make it at the last minute. Out of the 3 adults there, I was the only one who knew how to "sew" (I use this term loosely as I am completely self taught and not very good!). Luckily I brought my serger and the 4-H book and we worked through the first steps of the project as a group. It was hard because each person didn't have their own machine and then one of the machines we did have, didn't want to work (or should I rephrase it, it wouldn't work when Julieanne used it, it only wanted to sew for me!). If we had given any thought beforehand, we would have tried to coordinate fabric/tread so that each person didn't need a different color (it is so hard to change a machine back and forth in the middle of a project)

The girls were so cute, listening to the directions and trying their best to do what they were told. Most of the girls got about 1/2 way through making their environmental tote. The Ridimans had to leave to get to gymnastics, we stayed and Emily managed to finish hers. She was so proud of how it turned out, she used it to carry her clothes to dance class! We plan to have everyone else finish up the next time we get together!

Sophie wants me to finish her bag so she can put her "stuff" in it! Once you know what you are doing, you can make the tote in about 30 minutes. They are fairly cost efficient (I got the supplies to make 2 bags for less than $5...but don't as Kas how much she spent on fabric!). I think that Emily might end up making some and trying to sell them at a craft show next winter...by then she should be able to perfect the technique!

Hopefully the next time we sew, we have enough machines for all the girls...and hopefully Meolodie is there to lead the charge!

Wednesday, February 8; 3:00 PM
Tour of Donato's
Cost: $1.85/child
Max: 20 kids
Where: Donatos on Montgomery Road in Symmes Township. Their # is 489-4500 It's in the same plaza as TJ Max across from Harpers Point.
RSVP: Deanne

The kids were excited about getting to tour Donato's and make their own pizzas. Unfortunately the manager seemed extrememly uncomfortable giving the tour and really didn't do much more than show the kids around. He didn't really talk about the running of the pizzeria or the ingredients. About the only thing he said was that the phones ring off the hook on Fridays and Saturdays. Each of the kids made their own pizza and since they had extra shells, the 4 adults also made pizzas.

Obviously a product of the school system, the manager wasn't smart enough to figure out 15 people at $1.85 each (I had already figured that the 10 of us...Jay had joined us.... would be $18.50...not bad for 10 indivual pizzas and 10 pops) and ended up charging us only $18 for all 15 of us! I guess I shouldn't complain since it made it about 8 dollars cheaper for my family!

After the tour we dropped the girls at dance and then went to Grant's basketball game. His team won 26-21 and is now in the championship game on Saturday at 3 PM.

I began rousing the crew right before 9 AM. We are gotten "getting out of the house" to a science. Everyone can be dressed and ready to leave in less than 30 minutes, given everyone has bathed the night before and that only the teens need to shower. Today was no exception. Everyone was ready to head out by 9:30 AM. I tossed in a load of laundry before heading out the door. We needed to make 2 stops before heading to the 11 AM park program. Brett stayed home and worked on his geometry and physics homework from the co-op.

First stop was at the grocery store to grab items for lunch. On today's menu was pepperoni, cheese, crackers, bananas, grapes and cookies. Then we headed out to the 4-H office to order the rest of the books we needed. Good thing we made the stop because we found out that the shooting sports club that we were interested in attending was meeting today and that if you didn't have a representative at tonight's meeting you wouldn't be able to participate. Hannah, Emily and Grant are all interested in learning about gun safety and target shooting.

We got to the park about 10 minutes early. We were excited that Dennis and Sheila were doing the program. They are both very hands on and prefer to engage the kids in activities rather than lecture to them. The program was about animals and their habitats and they played games with kids for over an hour. The kids had a BLAST.

I had to leave 50 minutes into the program to go grab my dad. My friend Deanne had agreed to stay with my kids until I could get back. They would eat lunch once the program was over to kill time. Dad of course was his piddly needy self and insisted that I stop and get him lunch and then started to pout when I said I had to leave. He suckered me into staying with him for almost an hour. I know it is hard for him, that he wants company, but just for once I would like him to understand that I have other commitments. He is so self absorbed right now that he didn't even think about his grandkids being "alone" at a park.

Anyhow, got back to the park around 1:15 PM and talked with Deanne and the naturalists for a bit, then I headed back towards Eastgate to drop Hannah off at the Middle School for talent show practce. Then the rest of the gang and I stopped to pick up stuff for dinner (chicken, bbq sauce, cole slaw and buns...I had the baked beans and mac and cheese at home). Dropped Emily off at the dance studio and then headed home.

Once we got here I made the boys CLEAN OUT the van, it was just trashed....it looks great now, just needs to be vaccuumed. I ran down to the bank to pay the electric bill. Came home and spent a little "quality" time with Jay while the boys played basketball in the driveway and Sophie rode her bike!

Sophie came in and helped me make dinner. She loves pouring the sauce in the pan and dumping the cans into the pots. While dinner cooks she and Will read books. Jacob sits on the living room floor and uses the calcultor to add up the value of his baseball cards. For the game he plays with his brothers, his team can only have a value of 5000, so he arranges and rearranges his cards until this team comes in right at 5000.

After we eat dinner, Grant and I head out to the Shooting Sports meeting. Deanne, Julieanne and I all though that this was an INFORMATIONAL meeting and were quite shocked when the man in charge walked up to the kids and asked it they wanted to do archery, shoot rifles or shoot pistols. They all chose rifles and he sent them over to the range they had set up. Within minutes, no waifer signed, no gun safety riot act preached at them, the kids were FIRING RIFLES (OK they were shooting pellets, but they were SHOOTING!!!!). Grant hit the target 3 times (out of 5) on his first try! He hit the target 4 times the second try. There are 4 more sessions set up, plus we were told they would also have additional opportunities that would come up periodically. Although Grant had a GREAT time, it is frustrating as a parent how hard it is to get ALL the information about anything invovled with 4-H. It is such an "old boys club" that eveyone just assumes you know what is going on. Not the case for this frazzled, busy mom!

Hannah and Emily were dropped off from dance shortly after Grant and I got home. We are fortunate that one of the instructors from the studio lives less than a mile from us and has to drive by our house to get to work. She brings the girls home on Tuesday nights and drives them to the studio on Thursday mornings. I told the girls about the shooting sports and Hannah was THRILLED to learn that there are a BUNCH of boys and only a couple girls in the club. Fortunately she will be able to make all the rest of the scheduled club meetings. I think it is vital that my daughters know how to handle a gun, it isn't just a boy thing!

Cade brought me a book to read him and babbled on about the park program. He is such a bright kid, he remembers just about anything you tell him. He was going on about what animals need to leave and about playing the predator/prey game. The rest of the evening was fairly quiet. Hannah taught Sophie a cute cheer and she "performed" for us! I ended up laying down with Will around 11 PM and he finally fell alseep just as the news went off....

I got up to brush my teeth and sneak some computer time...thus this post.....

Another "normal" day here!

Our day today:

I have been asked to sit on a discussion panel in a couple of weeks to explore different methods of homeschooling. So I thought I might journal here a bit about what our days are like, so that I can have something concrete to look back at before the meeting.....so here it goes...

Brett got up early this morning and woke me up to find out what time I would be picking him up for the co-op he attends every Monday. I mumbled "3:45" and fell back asleep. I stayed in bed until almost 10 AM (OK, I had been up until about 2 AM with Will). When I got up I found Cade in the living room, getting his shoes on. He said "today is gym day right". We go to the gym every Monday from 12-3 PM and he counts the days......

Everyone else woke up over the next 30 minutes and started getting ready to go to the gym. We finally piled into the car about 11:30 AM and stopped by the bank to deposit money so I could make the phone payment. We grabbed lunch at Taco Bell and then went to the gym to eat it and play with our friends. 5 other families showed up! The boys play basketball while the girls sit and make collages out of a stack of magazines I drug along with me.

Right before 2 PM, I left the gym with Hannah to run her over to Glen Este Middle School so that she could practice for their talent show. Each year, she goes and participates in the talent show with her friend Chrishauna (who is a student there). Chrishauna's mom has gone to extraodinary lengths to get permission for Hannah to participate in this school sponsored event. She and Chrishauna are doing their hip-hop rountine from this year in the talent show. They have practice 3 times this week and the show is Friday night. Luckily the trip from the gym to the middle school is only a 5 minute round trip drive. I return to the gym to enjoy another hour of adult company.

At 3 PM, we leave the gym, I stop and run a couple errands and then pick Brett up at 3:45 PM. From there I head to the dance studio to drop Emily off for her Monday classes (Leaps and Turns, Ballet Technique and Jazz), Hannah will be joining her at the studio after talent show practice. We leave the dance studio and head to the house, where Brett deposits William in the crib for his nap and Jay quickly walks out the door with Brett, Grant and Cade in tow for Grant's basketball practice.

I manage to snag some computer time while they are gone since Will is napping and Sophie is happily playing Polly Pockets.

The boys get home and the house gets loud. They play a game of basketball in the playroom (we have 2 of those small indoor hoops and they play "full court"). After they finish Cade brings me a shark book to read him. Sophie joins us for the reading. She picks a storybook for us to read next.

Jepordy comes on and Jay, Brett and I play. Since it is teen week, we actually manage to answer just about every question but one or two. Jay leaves to pick up the girls from dance. The boys and I watch "wife swap"....I find the show hilarious and the episode is of particular interest as one of the families was a homeschooling family with 8 kids who lived on a very tight budget and clothed the kids in hand me downs......but that would be were the similiarities to our family ended. They homeschooled to shelter their kids, only having them leave the house for church and 2 other times a month for social activities....my social butterflies would never stand for that! But the show was good for a few chuckles and sparked some interesting conversations between Brett, Grant and myself.

Once the girls were home we had dinner, frozen pizzas and salad, and the boys watched WWE wrestling. I read a couple more books to the little ones.

Around 9:30 PM I FINALLY got in touch with our friend Amber who is in charge of the Junior Greenthumb program. The kids keep bugging me to find out when we get to start our containers for the local garden show. Spent quite some time talkign with her about the garden program and also 4-H (she is a 4-H advisor and was giving me the scoop on some of what is going on). She said that the kids can start their seeds and plan their containers. They are really excited.

The house begins to quiet as the midnight hour nears.....

Fun site

This link came through on a list that I am on, I couldn't help but share it: http://www.paulsadowski.com/birthday.asp. The funny thing is that I have always thought of "13" as my lucky number...an ironic point, according to this is that I was concieved on the day Hannah was born (I doubt it is right since I was about 3 weeks early, but I found it ironic).......

Here is what it said about me:
You entered: 11/13/1969

Your date of conception was on or about 20 February 1969 which was a Thursday.

You were born on a Thursday under the astrological sign Scorpio.
Your Life path number is 4.
The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2440538.5.
The golden number for 1969 is 13.
The epact number for 1969 is 11.
The year 1969 was not a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/17/1969 and ending 2/5/1970.You were born in the Chinese year of the Rooster.

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 6 April 1969.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 19 February 1969.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 25 May 1969.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 1 June 1969.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Saturday, 13 September 1969.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Thursday, 3 April 1969.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 18 February 1969.

As of 2/5/2006 9:56:05 AM EST
You are 36 years old.
You are 435 months old.
You are 1,891 weeks old.
You are 13,233 days old.You are 317,601 hours old.
You are 19,056,116 minutes old.
You are 1,143,366,965 seconds old.

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 5.17925636007828 years old. (You're still chasing cats!)
There are 281 days till your next birthdayon which your cake will have 37 candles.
Those 37 candles produce 37 BTUs,or 9,324 calories of heat (that's only 9.3240 food Calories!) .
You can boil 4.23 US ounces of water with that many candles.

In 1969 there were approximately 3.7 million births in the US.
In 1969 the US population was approximately 179,323,175 people, 50.6 persons per square mile.
In 1969 in the US there were approximately 1,800,000 marriages (9.3%) and 479,000 divorces (2.5%)
In 1969 in the US there were approximately 1,712,000 deaths (9.5 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

Your birthstone is Citrine
The Mystical properties of Citrine:Citrine is said to help one connect with Spirit.
Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources): Yellow Topaz, Pearl, Diamond

Your birth tree is Chestnut Tree, the Honesty
Of unusual beauty, does not want to impress, well-developed sense of justice, vivacious, interested, a born diplomat, but irritable and sensitive in company, often due to a lack of self-confidence, acts sometimes superior, feels not understood, loves only once, has difficulties in finding a partner.

There are 323 days till Christmas 2006!
There are 336 days till Orthodox Christmas!

The moon's phase on the day you wereborn was waxing crescent.

Cool Virtual Owl Pellet Disection site:

http://www.kidwings.com/owlpellets/index2.htm this site is VERY COOL, you can disect owl pellets online. Someone sent it to me prior to our owl hike and I lost the link. I found it today when cleaning out my mailbox! Check it out!

Another great owl study site: http://www.carolina.com/owls/index.asp

Now if we can just spot or at least HEAR an owl on our next hike!

Ronald McDonald House

I went down to RMH with Hannah and her friend Sarah for our monthly volunteer time. Although I usually resent the idea of giving up what little free time I have, I always enjoy myself once we get down to the house. Helping someone purely because you can and expecting nothing in return is such a wonderful feeling.

When we walked in I was surprised to see one of the families that had been there back in December. When I had talked with the mom in December they had thought they would be going home anyday and now 2 months later they are still sitting there. Her daughter Bailey had a bone marrow transplant and had some setbacks, but things now look up, they may be heading home on February 20th (my Hannah's 14th birthday!). Bailey was so surprised we remembered her (she has this infectious voice and is so talkative, she would be impossible to forget). Bailey mentioned that it was her sister's 13th birthday and I could just see the pain in her mom's eyes. For just a minute I allowed myself to imagine the hell of being torn between your sick child and the rest of your family, it was more than I could bear. The family lives in Minnesota. She and her daughter had been in Cincinnati since August, she had missed her other 3 children returning to school, halloween, thanksgiving, more sports events, school events, just everyday things than I could even count. Her family came down for Christmas but could only stay for a week and now a month later she is still looking at another 3 weeks before their reunion.

Through thick and thin, the thing I always know I can count on is having my family to cuddle up with, to lean on each day. Because I have them I know I can get through anything. I can't imagine not being able to touch or hold my children for 1/2 of a year, I have a hard enough time when I am away from any of them even for a couple of days. As much as I rsent the time it takes each week to deal with my dad and the dialysis, I am close enough (only 20 minutes away) that I can help out. I can't imagine having the closest member of my family 10 hours away.

So I came home with a renewed sense of how important having my family around me really is to me! OK so Will still annoyed the heck out of me when I was trying to check email last night and he kept crawling into my lap and pulling up my shirt. But I wouldn't trade it for the world....and I PRAY that I never have to!

Chinese New Year Celebration

Wednesday, February 1; 1pm
Chinese New Year Celebration!!!
Chinatown Buffet 1015 U.S. State Rt. 28, Milford
Organizer: Kathy Ridiman
Cost: $5.79 for adults, cheaper for children 4-12, children under 3 free.
Join us at one of the largest buffets around!! The food is hot and wonderful! Large variety of choices! We plan to have lunch and do some crafts to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Please RSVP to Kas so that we have enough supplies for all of the kids.

RSVP: Ridiman, Riesenberg, Day, Webel, Leland, Malott, Richmond, Hensley, Star, Kennedy

Directions: Take I-275 to the Milford/ Rt. 28 exit (#57). If coming from points east, turn right onto Rt. 28/if coming from points west, turn left onto Rt. 28 (you will pass a Lowes on your right)...at the traffic light that would let you into Lowes, turn LEFT onto Rt. 28......you will pass a KMart, Ameristop, Swifty Gas Station...the Chinatown Buffet is located across the street from the Ford Dealership. If you get to Gold Star you have gone too far!

What a wonderfully fun way to learn about another culture. Kas came up with the idea and I helped with securing the restaraunt. There were crafts for the kids, a game for the teens (where they tried to guess who was what zodiac sign) and it seemed fun by all. The group was LARGE but it was amazing how quiet they were while they ate! Grant was really protective of his red envolope, hoping his money will multiply so that he can buy the gayboy advance game he has been wanting!

Next year we have to remember to have someone show us how to use chopsticks and we must have Julieanne teach us some chinese.