LIVING HISTORY!

A few years back the kids and I visited the Christian Waldschmidt Homestead and Civil War Museum down in Camp Dennison (between Milford and Loveland on Rt 126) and had a wonderful time. I just learned about this great upcoming opportunity and hope others might decide to attend! The last time we were there, we just had a tour of the property and the museum and it was amazing, I can only imagine how much fun it will be during their American History Days!

INVITATION TO HOMESCHOOLERS: AMERICAN HISTORY DAYS
Demonstrations of Early American Life
When: May 13,14,15, and 16
Hours: Thursday, Friday & Saturday 9:00 AM TO 5:00 PM Sunday 12 Noon TO 5:00 PM
Where: Christian Waldschmidt Homestead & Civil War Museums 7567 Glendale Milford Road (State Route 126) Camp Dennison, Ohio 45111
513-295-6422 or 513-576-6327
Admission Fee: Adults $5.00, 6-17 year olds $2.00 Children 5 and under Free

Bring your students to the Waldschmidt Homestead for a Real Life Lesson in American History

Related Topics for Educational Enrichment: Appearances throughout the week will include interpreters George Rogers Clark, Patrick Henry, Mrs. William Henry Harrison, Harriet Beecher Stowe, General Sherman, Jacob Messerschmidt, Gunsmith, the Sons of the Civil War, various

demonstrators including the Weaver’s Guild, Dulcimer Society, Chair Caning, Blacksmith, book, beads and rug maker, school teacher to help children learn to crochet, Paul Wilkes with his amazing flag display, Amelia Ahner with Regency Period clothing, a real Conestoga wagon, President Garfield’s original surrey with the fringe on top, and much, much more.

Opportunities for learning:
1. Comparing and contrasting tasks for daily living found in frontier days with those of today.
2. Learning about the different methods of travel during the colonial and frontier days.
3. Seeing a simple time-line encompassing the Revolutionary War through the Civil War as displayed through the property and exhibits.
4. Learning the different steps involved in making paper during the time of Christian Waldschmidt.
5. Learning about the different types of communication available on the frontier, including newspapers.
6. Will learn to appreciate the quality of life provided by the modern inventions and conveniences that he now enjoys.

Options for further study (preferably before your visit):
U.S. History:
The Revolutionary War
Flags of America
The American Civil War
Morgan’s Raiders
Mason-Dixon Line
Railroad expansion
Westward Expansion
Land division (townships, etc.)
Industrialization

Ohio History:
Judge John Cleves Symmes
The Symmes Purchase (Miami Purchase)
The Northwest Territory
Governor William Dennison
The Ohio River watershed
Achieving statehood in 1803
Native American tribes
The Treaty of Greenville
General (also Governor) Arthur St. Clair
Population growth from 1790
National Road and Zane’s
The Ohio River and its tributaries
History of the Little Miami Railroad

German-American History:
German-American Settlements
Genealogy
Religion: Pietism & Lutheranism
The Pennsylvania Dutch
German troops in the Civil War
David Ziegler, Cincinnati’s 1st mayor
German mercenaries
German paper cutting

Frontier Life:
Paper making
Mills and grinding
Textiles: artistic
Colonial flower
Lighting Devices
Travel: flatboats, horseback, and wagons
Clothing of the 18th and 19th centuries
Sugar production –bee keeping, maple s
Food production, preparation, and storage
Buildings: cabins, clapboards, and stone
Wild animals and/or hunting
Religion
Subscription schools
Commerce and trade, currency
Recreation, games, music, and dance
Medicines & herbs
Weaponry and protection

Appearances throughout the week will include interpreters George Rogers Clark, Patrick Henry, Mrs. William Henry Harrison, Harriet Beecher Stowe, General Sherman, Jacob Messerschmidt, Gunsmith, the Sons of the Civil War, various demonstrators including the Weaver’s Guild, Dulcimer Society, Chair Caning, Blacksmith, book, beads and rug maker, school teacher to help children learn to crochet, Paul Wilkes with his amazing flag display, Amelia Ahner with Regency Period clothing, a real Conestoga wagon, President Garfield’s original surrey with the fringe on top, and much, much more.

HAPPY 12th BIRTHDAY TO JACOB!

Jacob was the most beautiful of all the Riesenberg babies, but one would NEVER know that from his HORRID newborn picture! Unfortunately he was born before we really started using a digital camera, so this is the ONLY newborn picture I have of him on the computer! Maybe I will break out the scanner and find a better picture to share!
























Jacob's Birth Story:

Jacob Zaren Riesenberg was born on April 14, 1998 at 3:03 PM weighing in at 8 lb 12.5 oz (he would have weighed even more if he hadn't peed all over everyone and everything before being placed on the scale) and measuring 22 inches.

Jay and I headed down to the hospital on Monday, April 13th around 1 PM. I was having contractions 3-5 minutes apart and lasting at least 1 minute each. I kept thinking it wouldn't be long at all until we met our 5th child. After all, I had been at the midwives four days earlier and I was already 4 cm and 60% effaced. We spend the afternoon and early evening in the labor room hoping that nature would take its course. They started IV antibiotics since I carried group B strep and they hoped the treatment would keep the baby from being infected. I consented to an internal exam around 8 PM, I was convinced that I would be at least 6 cm by then, imagine how disappointed I was when Sara (one of our midwives) did the exam and there was absolutely NO CHANGE! 6 hours at the hospital with intense back labor and nothing. Jay and I spent the next 2 hours in the jacuzzi shower, the warm water was WONDERFUL, I almost forgot how bad my back was hurting! By the time we dried off and were sitting back in the bed, it was after 11 PM. We watched the news and the late night talk shows. By 2:30 AM, Jay dozed off and I sat there....contracting, exhausted, feeling defeated. At 4 AM, I asked Sara to check to see if I had dialated any more, I was still having horrible back labor. ABSOLUTELY NO CHANGE! I LOST IT! I sat there and SOBBED for almost an hour. At 6 AM I had collected myself somewhat and Sara and I walked the halls until almost 8 AM. Karen, the other midwife, showed up at 8 AM and after talking a while said she felt we needed to make a decision. Either go home and wait or start pitocin, wait for stronger contractions to return (the strength of the contractions by this point had backed off) and then she would break my water. Jay and I agreed. We had been at this for almost 24 hours. We were READY to meet our baby! We opted for induction with pitocin and hoped we were making the right choice!

At noon we started pitocin. Horrible contractions. At 2:15 PM, Karen checks me to find that I have finally started to make some progress. I am now 5 cm and 80% effaced. She ruptures the amniotic sac. At 2:40 PM (only about 25 minutes later), I tell her I feel the urge to PUSH! She checks and I am 9 1/2 cm and 100% effaced. She tells me I can push if I truly feel the URGE, but that the baby is still very high and that it might take a while. At 3:03 PM, after about 15 minutes of pushing, Jacob slid forth onto the bed and Karen immediately placed him in my arms. I had never felt so wonderful in all my life! Within minutes, Karen decided they needed to further assess his condition, because he aspirated so much fluid they needed to suction him and give him oxygen. His limbs were very blue so they took him to the NICU for further suctioning, oxygen and observation. Once again I sat helplessly by as they wheeled one of my babies from the delivery room off to the intensive care unit. Jay followed Jacob down to the NICU. Karen repaired a small internal tear that needed 1 stitch. I showered and by 4:30 PM had joined Jay down in the NICU. Jacob was having a difficult time maintaining his body temperature, was grunting rather than crying and his limbs were still very blue, signs we were told of a possible septic strep infection. He would need to be watched closely. After showing signs of active nursing and holding his body temperature, they allowed us to take him back to the room around 10 PM and we were finally able to spend some quiet time as a family.

They treated Jacob with antibiotics. They never did decide if he had group B strep or not. There was a fire in the lab the night they sent over his lab work. How strange is that?

Can someone explain to me.....

Why the Cincinnati Homeschool Convention (http://www.cincinnatihomeschoolconvention.com/) would allow the Virtual Community School (http://www.vcslearn.org/) and K12 (http://www.k12.com/who-we-help/homeschoolers/) to set up booths at their convention? Does this seem to anyone else like La Leche League (http://www.llli.org/) allowing formula companies to set up booths at their National convention? Virtual Community School and K12 are NO MORE HOMESCHOOLING than formula is BREASTMILK. They are NOT THE SAME! Virtual Community school and K12 are PUBLIC SCHOOL over the internet.....you are NOT HOMESCHOOLING your child, you are allowing public school to be administered IN YOUR HOME! If you are going to allow VIRTUAL SCHOOLS to PURCHASE booth space at a HOMESCHOOLING CONVENTION, then why not let the local private and public schools to purchase space as well...why even call yourself a HOMESCHOOLING convention if you are promoting options that AREN'T HOMESCHOOLING?

It really irks me when people who enroll their children into these virtual academies like VCS or OVHA think they are homeschooling or even worse, portray themselves to the rest of the homeschooling community as homeschoolers. It bothers me even more when these families lead others astray and encourage them to "homeschool" using a virtual academy. One homeschooling list that I am part of, that isn't very big (probably less than 100 families), has about 10 families participating in virtual academies and they frequently sent out emails to the group encouraging others to join. Now if I was to send out emails extolling the merits of our local school district and encouraging everyone to enroll their children in a local school, the emails wouldn't even make it onto the email list, they would be edited out by the moderator (as they should be), but for some reason it is OK to perpetrate the lie that virtual schooling is HOMESCHOOLING. Part of me wonders why as VIRTUAL SCHOOLERS they even join HOMESCHOOL groups, seems to make about as much sense as me joining the PTO at the local school.

It annoys me that when someone puts Ohio homeschooling into a search engine, because they can AFFORD to pay for the advertising (with our tax dollars!) that Ohio K12 (http://www.k12.com/ohva/) is the FIRST LINK that appears, I just pray most people are smart enough to go further down the page. And just so they get their "fair shake" here, I can't forget to include Connections Academy (www.connectionsacademy.com) who seems to almost MONTLY send me a postcard in the mail encouraging me to join their virtual school. I am not sure if they just do mass mailing to everyone with a school aged child within the state of Ohio or if they target us specifically as a homeschooling family. Neither would surprise me.

Yes, virtual academies have their place. I am sure for some students and parents they are an absolute God send, the answer to their prayers to keep their child/children out of the local school system. But call it what is it.....it is PUBLIC SCHOOL at home. It ISN'T HOMESCHOOLING!

Grant's baseball schedule

OK, the much anticipated schedule is ready! Let the games begin! Home games (played at Tealtown ballpark in the Eastgate area of Cincinnati, OH).

Tuesday May 4th 6:30 PM at Tealtown vs. KY Longhorns.

Thursday May 6th 6:15 PM at Madeira vs Madeira Bombers.

Monday May 10th 6:30 PM at Norwood Millcrest Fields vs Norwood

Saturday May 15th 4 PM at Tealtown vs Dales Devils

Wednesday May 19th RESCHEDULED do to 8th grade banquet conflict

Thursday May 20th 6:30 PM at Tealtown vs Amelia

Monday May 24th 6:30 PM at Tealtown vs Norwood

Wednesday May 26th 6 PM at Tealtown vs Madeira Tribe

Saturday May 29th 6:30 PM at Pendrey Fields vs Campbell County Cranes

Monday May 31st Noon at Pendrey Fields vs Campbell County Sharks----NOTE THIS IS MEMORIAL DAY!

Thursday June 3rd 6:30 PM at Villa Hills vs Kentucky Longhorns

Saturday June 5th 2:00 PM at Blue Ash Sports Center (Field #3 Riverfront) vs. Sycamore--Rescheduled from May 19th

Friday June 11th 6:30 PM at Tealtown vs Madeira Bombers--rescheduled from June 5th due to tournament conflict with Tealtown fields.

Saturday June 12th 1 PM at Amelia vs Amelia Heat

Monday June 14th 6:30 PM at Villa Hills vs Dales Devils

Wednesday June 16th 6:30 PM at Tealtown vs Sycamore Aves

Friday June 18th 6 PM at Bellvue Vets vs Grau Titans

Sunday June 20th 2:30 PM at Madeira vs Madeira Tribe

Wednesday June 23rd 6:30 PM at Tealtown vs Sycamore

Sunday June 27th 2 PM at Tealtown vs Grau Titans

Monday June 28th 8:30 PM at Crosley Blue Ash (grass infield) vs Sycamore Aves

Tuesday June 29th 6:30 PM at Tealtown vs Campbell County Cranes

Thursday July 1st 6:30 PM at Tealtown vs Campbell County Sharks

We are still working on scheduling 2 games against the KY Hurricanes.

City Tournament starts July 6th

Happy Birthday Cade!

We now have another child with a DOUBLE DIGIT age! 90 more birthdays to go to make TRIPLE DIGITS!
























10 years ago today...this is how things played out!

After an ultrasound on Friday, April 7, 2000, the ultrasound tech estimated the baby to weigh about 8 LB 12 oz, just under Dr. Howe's 9 LB threshold for avoiding a cesarean section. After consulting with Dr. Carpenter (who would be on call on Saturday), Dr. Howe scheduled an induction for 7 AM Saturday, April 8, 2000, our DUE DATE! After 40 weeks, it seemed unbelievable that the end was finally so close. We scramble to make plans for all of the children the following morning. Michelle came to the house and watch everyone from 6 AM until they could be picked up by friends. Brett ended up staying with Evan H, Hannah and Emily stayed with the Kramers and Grant and Jake went home with Michelle. The weather had turned rather nasty. At midweek we had been wearing shorts and t-shirts, but the forecast now included rain and snow, with temperatures falling through the 30's, what a gloomy day. About 6:50 we pull into the hospital parking garage and head over to triage. It takes forever to get checked in and moved back to the
labor and delivery area. The doctor checks and says that the cervix is high, firm, and just under 3 cm dilated and that baby is at -3 (still floating). Doctor asks if we would be interested in participating in a research study for a new induction drug. The one drawback is that it can take up to 48 hours for labor to start. We had been through two long inductions already (Grant was around 20 hours and Jake had been over 36 hours) so we felt we had nothing to lose. Finally just after 10 AM a labor room is open and we are transferred. At 10:45 PM the study drug is administered. The doctor says she will be back in to check on us in 4 hours unless we need her sooner, and then we can ring for her. Experience some mild cramping but we both end up
taking a nap. At 12:45 the doctor returns to discuss my concerns about shoulder dystocia and she feels that given that Emily was rather short and round that this baby appeared to be much longer that this baby should emerge rather easily. Since she was in the room, she decides to check for dilation and announces that I am now 100% effaced and close to 4 cm...I haven't felt
hardly anything, she decides to stop the study drug (obviously labor is now underway, there is no turning back) and says she will transfer us to a birthing room and start pitocin as soon as one opens up (little did we know at that point that 15 other women were also in labor...YIKES). The nurse brings up a lunch tray and I DEVOUR everything (I had been told not to eat
after midnight). Around 2 PM Jay and I start to play to alphabet name game, we each pick at least one name for each letter of the alphabet (minus the letters the other kids names start with) it helps to pass the time since basically nothing is happening at this point, mild contractions, we watch bits of a movie on TV and once again we nap (remembering what a long rode we
might have ahead of us given our other birth experiences). At 3:30 we are FINALLY moved to the LDR room. The nurse administers IV antibiotics because I was group b strep positive with a previous pregnancy. Jay and I decide to narrow the list of names and rather quickly have to pinned down to 3 names (Dalton, Lance, and Quinn) for a boy and 3 names (Veronica, Alison, and
Sarah) for a girl, the question is will we still agree on any of the 3 once the baby gets here! At 4:35 the PITOCIN is FINALLY STARTED....a sidenote here, at about 4:15PM I decides to have Jay pull out the camera so it is ready and I discovers that the batteries I just bought on 3-18-00 are completely DEAD, a photographer's/scrapbooker's worst nightmare! Jay runs out to get new
batteries, and I digs out a cheap disposable camera for the labor bag in case it is needed. By 5:10, the contractions are starting to piggyback...vivid memories of my last labor and the 15 hours of piggybacking contractions that did NOTHING keep flashing in my mind. Jay makes it back
with the batteries and I am feeling pretty miserable. Dr. Carpenter agrees to break my amniotic sac even though baby is still very high in order to get labor rolling along. Within an hour of the sac breaking contractions and pressure are really building I can remember thinking to myself please let these contractions be doing something. Dr. decides to check and says we are
at just over 6 cm. I am so relieved because I stayed stuck at 3 cm with my last baby for over 12 hours. Jay comments on how smoothly things are going, we have made it to more than 6 cm and that we are in the home stretch and he hasn't gotten yelled at once or been made to massage my back for hours on end.

Somewhere shortly after 9 PM I feel a contraction that I know is different, the sensation that maybe I could push is there. The next contraction I try to completely relax and listen to my body, as the contraction builds I can feel my body being called to push, about 90 seconds
later the next contraction begins, I moan, look at Jay and say "go get the nurse and the docs it is time to push", everyone rushes in, Dr. Carpenter checks me at 9:40 PM and declares I am complete and that I can push whenever I want. Since I had gestational diabetes, the room begins to fill with medical personnel, along with the 2 OB docs and 3 nurses, there are also 5 pediatricians in the room. Empowered by the freedom to finally push we didn't go with the typical controlled pushing to the frantic count of 10, Dr. Carpenter allows me to push as many times as I choose through each contraction. The head rapidly descends, I can feel bone moving through bone. Someone's pager keeps going off and I make some comment to the affect that
they either need to answer the damn thing or given it to me so I can throw it out the window. Dr. Carpenter comments the next day that she has never had a patient keep her sense of humor the way I did during pushing. I probably push a total of 20 times, through about 8 contractions. I will never forget that WONDERFUL FEELING as the face cleared the pubic bone. What a wonderful feeling to know that the baby is almost here. The head completely out, I know from previous experience that once more good push and baby should be free. I push and NOTHING. Suddenly all 10 members of the medical staff in the labor room fall quiet. I know our worst fear has come to pass, the shoulders are stuck. Head of the bed is rapidly dropped (talk about a head
rush) and I am practically doing a headstand. Later Jay tells me that at this point the baby's face is getting grayer and grayer and he admits that at that moment he thought the baby was dead. In a last ditch effort to free the baby, Dr. Carpenter slides her fingers between the pubic bone and the tightly wedged flesh of the baby's shoulder, maneuvering her fingers under the left
arm pit, and she rotates the arm in and up popping baby out. Free at last at 10:01 PM, IT'S A BOY!!!!! An interesting side note: Cade has a single umbilical artery! A cord is supposed to have 2 arteries and 1 vein, one of his umbilical arteries is missing! Ironically, most babies with this abnormality are GIRLS and have a CHROMOSOMAL problem.....not our baby....a BOY and PERFECTLY HEALTHY!

Despite spending 8 1/2 minutes without oxygen, Baby Riesenberg pinks up very quickly and is given to mom to nurse. Dr. Carpenter lets the placenta deliver itself (10:26 PM) and then makes a final check for tearing or skid marks, not a single stitch is needed. Thanks the Lord for flexible tissue. After about 40 minutes baby is taken to NICU to be assessed. Jay and I both agree that he looks just like Jake and we decide none of the names on the list seem fitting. About 11:30 PM one of the pediatrician comes back into delivery room and tells us that baby broke his
humerus (bone in his upper arm) during delivery and also has suffered some nerve damage, and that they are consulting with an orthopedic doctor from Children's Hospital. After the delivery I felt pretty good with the exception of feeling like my pelvic bone is bruised and the fact that my
afterpains (especially when I nurse) feel like labor contractions . I was moved to my hospital room around midnight and baby is brought back to me at 1:45 AM, little splint on his arm and all! Baby Riesenberg spends the first night of his life nameless. I call Jay the next morning and ask him what he thinks of Cade as a name and he says OK (I woke him from a dead sleep, wonder if he would have been so agreeable if he had been awake!), so it is SET.....I fill out the birth certificate immediately so there is no turning back!!!

RECAP:
Cade Zavier Riesenberg
4-8-2000
9 lb 2.3 oz, 22"
10:01 PM

Of all of the Riesenberg kids, Cade is the one who still resembles his newborn picture the most!

Explorers!

Last fall the boys discovered the woods across the street from our house, yes, I know we have lived here almost 5 years now, but it wasn't like I was going to let them wander across the street by themselves when we first moved in. We aren't sure who owns the property, it is really just a steep wooded hill with a creek at the bottom, but it is plenty big enough for them to explore!

Thursday they went over and explored returning with a salamander that they had found under a rock! They were so excited and googled salamanders to learn a bit more about their spotted friend! He was returned to the rock they found him under about an hour later!

Yesterday (Friday) I returned from a shopping trip to be greeted by about an 18 inch water snake! They were thrilled with their discover and made "SSSSSSILK" a home in a rubbermaid container. Unfortunately "SSSSSSILK" was a bit smarter than the boys and escaped while they were inside eating dinner. Hopefully he found his way back across the street! Honestly I am surprised no one got bit as much as they handled him all afternoon.

Today, the discovery was a VERY LARGE crayfish (crawdad)! Cade measured him with a ruler and he measures a WHOOPING 4", pretty darn big if you ask me! Neither Jay or I have ever seen one so large. Again, the discovery led to the boys googling what crayfish eat and if they will fight each other. I love watching their natural desire to learn! Learning for the sake of knowledge, not because some teacher standing at the front of a classroom is telling them that it is going to be on some stupid test!

I can only wonder (and wait to see) what tomorrow's discovery might be. A different species of salamander or snake, another macro invertebrate....as long as it isn't inside my house, I guess I won't complain!

Grant, Emily and I had the privilege to see the African Children's Choir perform at River Hills Community Church in Loveland, OH. All I can say is AMAZING, ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! If you ever have the opportunity to see them, don't pass it up!

What: African Children's Choir

When: Friday March 19, 2010 7 PM

Where: River Hills Christian Church

6300 Price Road Loveland, OH 45140

Enjoy an evening of music and dance by this world-renown group. Admission is free. Love offering will be taken. Helping Africa's most vulnerable children today, so they can help Africa tomorrow. www.africanchildrenschoir.com

Interactive Passover Event

I attended the most amazing event at the Jewish Discovery Center http://www.jewish-discovery.com/ today with the kids. It was an interactive walk through that explained the story of passover. It was very hands on, each plague had a hands on activity connected to it. Before we began, they dressed each child in a robe (made of felt) and a head wrap to represent how the Jewish people had dressed at the time of the first passover celebration. We started out our tour with the water being turned to blood (drank red juice), then onto the frogs (the kids were given small plastic frogs to have jump around), lice (the kids played in rice with rubber bugs in it and each left with a plastic spider ring), wild animals (everyone made animal mask) and domestic animals dying, boils (popping bubble wrap), fire and hail (firey lollipops to eat), locust (popping ball game) , darkness (sunglasses), death (we colored doors with red crayons). Then we heard the story of the unleavened bread and watched a video about making matzoh and made our own paper matzoh to carry with us. We made a lamb craft (to symbolize the slaughtered lamb) and also had a mock Seder. We learned so much! Sophia and William were so funny, they knew the answers to so many of the questions because they learned the story of Moses last year during vacation bible school! I was shocked to hear them answer the first question she asked "what was the king called" and they answered in unison "Pharaoh" and she said "what did Moses ask of Pharaoh" and they both said "Pharaoh, let my people go"...surprisingly, the also knew most of the plagues!

The woman that led our tour said they will most likely offer the program next year, a few weeks prior to passover. This is the second year they have offered the program. If you live in the Cincinnati area, I would encourage you to attend next year if you have the chance. The only thing that we didn't like was that the space was a bit cramped, but they made the most out of the space they had and made is feel so welcome!

A few pictures....I didn't take very many, but I thought I would share these!

Bracketology 101--Riesenberg Style

So the much anticipated NCAA tournament pairings are announced, the printer is set into overdrive trying to spit out enough brackets for everyone to fill out. Every year the prize is always the same--$20 for first place, $10 for second place and $5 for third place. Let the FUN begin!

Luke--colors in the entire bracket with a red crayon, I can almost guarantee that he will get as many right as I do!

William--understands brackets far better than any 5 year old should and knows how to fill them in completely on his own.....he needs some help reading a few of the teams names, but he knows who he thinks will win each game. He is more a name or mascot kind of kid!

Sophia--picks the highest seeded team each time

Cade, Jacob and Grant--a little bit of research and a lot of heart!

Brett--research, research research

Laura--takes most of the favorites, picks a couple of underdogs and then MUST take Xavier (dh alma mater) to make it at least to the sweet 16 if she wants aforementioned dh to continue speaking to her.

Jay--knows each teams record, the RPI, and if they play well on the road with limited fan support (or if they have fans that will sell out the arena). Picks with his head, not his heart, even where Xavier is concerned! Of course is Xavier's cross town rivals (UC bearcats) were to be seeded #1 overall, there is no way he would pick them to win the whole thing!

Let the MADNESS begin! I'll let you know who wins in about 3 weeks!

Check out the following blogs:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-23788-Mankato-Attachment-Parenting-Examiner~y2010m2d24-Another-childs-death-linked-to-Pearls-and-To-Train-Up-a-Child

http://musemama.blogspot.com/2010/02/bring-back-boycott.html

OK, I have only read the introduction and the first chapter of Pearl's "To Train Up a Child" (http://www.gospeltruth.net/children/pearl_tuac.htm) and I can not believe that ANY thinking person could possibly think that they should follow his advise. I can't believe that anyone could read of "switching" at 4 month old with a willow branch for attempting to climb the steps are the actions of a loving connected parent. That purposefully taunting your child with an object of their desire and then "switching" their hand for reaching for it builds trust between parent and child. This just makes me SICK. That at least 2 families have murdered their children, justifying their actions because of this book is appalling.

Happy 18th Birthday Hannah!

I can't believe that I am now the mother to 2 adult children! Before Hannah was born I had worried, would I be able to love her as much as I loved my firstborn child...the second she was born, the question was answered, my love wasn't divided in half, but multiplied by 2!

Hannah's hospital picture from 18 years ago. She had the most beautiful rosebud lips....and yes, she is the ONLY one of my children that really looks like me! Poor girl!

Happy Year of the TIGER!

February 14th marked the start of the year of the Tiger. Usually we go out to the local chinese buffet to celebrate chinese new year, but with the forecast of a severe winter storm hitting on Monday (yesterday), I thought it a better idea to pick up ingredients to make our own chinese feast for dinner last night...... sweet and sour chicken and fried rice! Here are our favorite tried and true recipes!

Fried rice recipe: http://blogchef.net/chinese-fried-rice-recipe/ (I triple this recipe)

Sweet and sour sauce recipe: http://chinesefood.about.com/od/sauces/r/sweetandsour.htm (I quadruple this recipe for my crew, since we like it not only on our chicken but also on our rice!)

I totally cheat and just buy frozen popcorn chicken to serve with this...and the sauce would also work well with pork! This is one meal that EVERYONE in the family will eat! I have a couple that prefer white rice (there is always plenty of white rice left over to use after we make the fried rice).

Here are some great sites with activities for kids:
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/chinese_new_year.htm

http://crafts.kaboose.com/holidays/chinese_new_year.html

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/china/index.htm

Today at Thriving Moms, we discussed getting children outdoors. Now for many homeschoolers, this isn't an issue, but I thought I would share these links and other info with everyone because apparently this is a huge concern with many families. Hope it is of use to someone!

Hamilton County Parks: http://www.greatparks.org/events/events.htm

I would highly recommend the Salamander Soirée
at Sharon Woods Kreis Dam on Saturday Feb 13th at 2:00 p.m. I didn't realize until we went on this hike that salamanders hang out under rocks and logs right along the trail and that the best time to find them is in February and March.

Clermont County Parks: http://parks.clermontcountyohio.gov/

They have 3 winter programs set up for families, all 3 of which my family has done in the past and enjoyed. Sycamore Park is in Batavia and Pattison in Owensville. Crooked Run, well, that is quite a hike out Rt. 52, probably a good 20 minutes or so past New Richmond, but it is a beautiful place!

Winter Hike
Saturday January 23
10:00 am
Sycamore Park
Beat the winter blues by getting outside and enjoying the crisp winter air. We'll hike and explore all of the trails on the new James L. and Frances Wilson Nature Preserve.

Owl Prowl
Friday January 29
6:00 pm
Crooked Run Nature Preserve
Winter is an excellent time to go "owling." Walk with a naturalist as we try to lure in one of these nocturnal wonders. Meet at the visitor center.

Backyard Sugaring
Saturday February 13
11:00 am
Pattison Park Lodge
Visit the Pattison Park sugarbush to learn all about making maple syrup. Follow the process step by step and see how you can make your very own maple syrup right in your backyard. Please call 513.876.9013 to sign up.

Warren County Parks: http://www.co.warren.oh.us/parks/

Butler County Parks: http://www.butlercountymetroparks.org/ We have attended a few programs here, they did a wonderful Native American Program and my boys participated in a "mud derby" a few summers ago. Keep in mind that MANY of the Butler county parks have primitive bathrooms (pits, no running water) which didn't sit well with my girls!

Dayton Parks: http://www.metroparks.org/ Dayton offers some absolutely AMAZING parks and park programs if you are willing to make the drive! Besides a great park system, Dayton also offers one of the BEST children's museums around, Boonshoft Museum of Discovery. If you happen to be a member of the Cincinnati Museum Center, you get in FREE! Parking is always free. They also usually have wonderful free traveling exhibits, far surpassing what you see at our local museum center http://www.boonshoftmuseum.org/

Fernald Preserve: http://www.lm.doe.gov/Fernald/Visitors_Center/Visitors_Center.pdf admission is free, they offer some interesting programs from time to time.

The Cincinnati Observatory FOTO 2010 Dark Sky Observing Dates (these take place out at Stonelick Lake) http://www.cincinnatiobservatory.org/Resources/2010_Stonelick_Stargazes.pdf

And for those of you that know me, I plan to set up another STREAM STUDY: If anyone is interested in doing a stream study on the Little Miami River (or even a local park with a creek) when the weather is warmer (I am not getting in the river in January, although my kids probably would!), I have all the materials to do a water quality study. The water quality study is extremely hands on and includes macroinvertebrate collection (using a large kick net), water sampling, and running tests on the water including nitrate levels,water turbidity, phosphate levels, dissolved oxygen, ph levels, water temperature and fecal coliform bacteria testing (yes, that means you are testing for poop in the water!). The kit is intended for elementary school aged kids, but all of my children (from ages 2 on up) enjoy doing this!

Family Mardi Gras Dance

ALIVE 4-H Club is hosting a Family Mardi Gras dance on Saturday February 13, 2010 at the Clermont County Fairgrounds 4-H Hall. Please feel free to share this information with your friends. We hope to see you there!

What: ALIVE 4-H Club Family Mardi Gras Dance
When: Saturday February 13, 2010 7 PM to 10 PM
Where: Clermont County Fairgrounds 4-H Hall 1000 Locust St. Owensville, OH 45160
Who: You, your family, your friends
Cost: Pre-order: $2 per person or $8 per family (can be paid for the day of event, but must be pre-ordered!) At the door: $3 per person or $10 per family

Snacks: Light snacks and beverages will be provided by ALIVE 4-H club.

Raffle Tickets: $1 each or 6/$5 or 15/$10 . Raffle items include but are not limited to theme baskets (photography, sports, scrapbooking, movie night, game night, cosmotology, pets), admission tickets to the Cincinnati Museum Center and gift certificate to local and online
businesses. Will will also be drawing door prizes throughout the night.

Beads: It just wouldn't be Mardi Gras without BEADS! Since this is a family friendly event, everyone will be given a strand of beads when they enter the dance. You can send beads to your friends throughout the night for $.25 each. Earn beads by participating in different events throughout the night. Whoever has the most beads at the end of the night will receive a special prize.

Dress: Come in whatever makes you comfortable, casual to dressy!

Need more info or to pre-order tickets: Leave a comment with your email address and I will get back to you!

Penguin Parade

The other day I received an email from the Cincinnati Zoo that said: "Come to the Zoo and watch our penguins parade daily at 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.! Now through February 28." OK, I HATE birds, but penguins have always had a special place in my heart, I remember spending hours at the zoo as a kid with my younger brother, just waiting by their tank and HOPING that they would jump in the water (they never seemed to). I couldn't believe that I would have the opportunity to stand just feet from these majestic creatures! I wrangled my friend Nancy into joining me! Below are the pictures I took, not the greatest, but it certainly captured a memory I will hold onto forever! Turned out that I got even closer than I ever thought I would, just inches from them, I could have touched them if I hadn't been so busy taking pictures. Now that I know the route and where to stand, I plan to take the kids down to watch the penguin parade! Luke loves watching the video and looking at my pictures, I can't wait to see how he reacts to seeing them in person!

Here is the youtube video that the zoo made:

Kalahari....30 days and counting!

We are counting the days until the Unschooler's Winter Waterpark Gathering (UWWG). The gathering is our Christmas present from my mother each year, so much more enjoyable than stepping on small pieces to toys that the kids really don't care about! It is an amazing collection of unschooling families sharing life for a week at North America's largest indoor waterpark located at Kalahari in Sandusky, Ohio. It is always so much fun to meet new friends and reconnect with those we have met at the gathering in years past! This is the 3rd year for the gathering and we can't wait! This year the keynote speaker is John Taylor Gatto, I am looking forward to hearing him speak.

Details about the Gathering:

3rd Annual Unschoolers Winter Waterpark Gathering
Kalahari Indoor Waterpark Resort - Sandusky Ohio
February 8-12, 2010
http://www.ugo.unschoolgathering.com/
http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/UWWG/

Our UWWG gatherings are for families who homeschool in a non-traditional, non-schoolly-schoolly child-led, interest-based homeschooling approach. Whether you consider yourself a relaxed, eclectic homeshooler or a radical unschooler, our UWWG Gatherings are for you!

Keynote Opening Speaker John Taylor Gatto along with over a dozen other speakers
Lots of Funshops for kids and adults of ALL ages

Awesome Events:

Winter Carnival w/ games, face painting, stage acts & even a Dunking Tank!
Talent Shows
Movie Nights
SSUDS Gatherings--Secret Society of Unschooling Dads
Grand Ballroom Dance
On-going Kid' s Craft and Playroom
On-going Older Kids Lounge and Gaming Room
Thrilling Waterpark Rides and Coasters, Wavepools, hot-tubs and more...

Super Discounted Room Rates (Large Full Kitchen Suites Average only $21.50 /person per night - With Waterpark passes included!!!)

NO Conference or Registration fees (participation to all UWWG events included with your room rates!)

Check out our updated UWWG website for further info on all the speakers, funshops and events:
http://www.ugo.unschoolgathering.com/

For all the latest info and to begin connecting with others, please join our UWWG yahoo group at: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/UWWG/

You truly won't want to miss this awesome gathering with a thousand plus unschoolers from around the country!

Please help us spread the word! Please forward this to all your homeschooling groups and friends. THANKS!


We (the girls and I) are hosting a Paper Bag Scrapbook Funshop (tentatively scheduled for Thursday afternoon).....here are the details:

Scrapbooks made from paper lunch bags are an inexpensive way to capture your memories. Simple enough that even the youngest crafter can create one, they can be embellished so that even the most advanced crafter finds them challenging. A great part of the paper bag scrapbook is that there are several side pockets that you can load with memorabilia or with mini scrapbook pages. Use them to document an event (such as UWWG), fieldtrip, baby's first year, birthday, dog's/cat's life, or as a mom's/grandma's brag book. All supplies will be provided, just bring your creativity! You will leave with a scrapbook ready to be filled with photos once you return home.

Here is an example of what they look like: http://thescrapbookhouse.wordpress.com/paper-bag-album/

Another example: http://www.scrapjazz.com/topics/Scrapbook_Basics/Album_Ideas/527.php

Basketball!

I don't usually take the camera to basketball games, the lighting usually isn't very good or I can't find a decent place to shoot. I was surprised at how good the lighting was at today's game. I snapped a few pictures of Cade. He had 14 points and 9 rebounds in today's win over St. Gertrude.

Homeschool Skate

Orbit Fun Center in Lebanon, OH (http://lebanon.orbitfuncenter.com/) is hosting a homeschool skate the 2nd Friday of every month (November -May) from 1 PM to 3 PM. The price was right ($3 a person including skates), so we decided to check it out!

Despite the fact that I left the directions at home, we managed to find the place. If coming from 1-71 northbound, you get off at exit #28, make a right at the end of the exit ramp and follow Rt 48 until you reach the light at Monroe (the 3rd light I believe). Make a left on Monroe and follow it to the first traffic light (Columbus). Turn left on Columbus and Orbit will be on your left hand side.

Anyhow....we got there and the parking lot hadn't been plowed and the place looked deserted. Grant got out and went and knocked on all the doors and finally someone came and opened them. The heat wasn't working, but skating was ON! Only 5 families showed up so there was absolutely no crowd, the place a clean and the kids had a great time and managed to skate off some of their energy! We plan to give it another try come March (we will miss February because we will be at the Unschoolers Winter Waterpark Gathering at Kalahari the 2nd Friday in February).

Orbit also offers bowling. They have a small 12 lane alley. I am working with the owner to set up homeschool bowling the 4th Friday in February. Hopefully we can work out a reasonable rate. I know the kids would enjoy it, we haven't bowled since Will's birthday last summer!

Let it Snow!

We have our first significant snowfall! The kids were so excited to awake to more than a dusting of snow on the ground. I think by the time it was all said and done, we probably only ended up with about 5 inches on the ground, but that was PLENTY to make the kids happy! I snapped some pictures early in the day, when the kids went out to play for the first time. And YES, my children DO all own WINTER COATS, but some of them prefer NOT to wear them!

Great Article over at DPS: 30 Photographic Goals for 2010

http://digital-photography-school.com/30-photographic-goals-for-2010

I subscribe to DPS daily emails and this little tidbit, at the bottom of today's email bares repeating! I guess it is OK to post it here since I am including the link back to the original article! One of my goals for 2010 is to really build my skill as a photographer. The clock is ticking......only 359 days until 2011!

1. Don’t leave your camera

You never know what opportunities will present themselves to you if your camera is always at your side. It may be a bit of extra hassle, but you will develop a greater sense of observation by being aware of your camera constantly.

2. Shoot a Photo a Day

No greater photographic progress can be seen than by a personal photo a day challenge. Watch your development over a period of 1-3 months and be amazed at how far you’ve come.

3. Smile: Photos in your daily life

Most New Years resolutions include spending more time with friends and family. Take a photographer’s spin on this one, and make it a priority to take casual photos of your friends and family on a day-to-day basis. Capturing memories for others is commendable, but capturing memories for yourself is priceless.

4. Prioritize your goals

Do you want to develop your business practices? Learn a new technique? Save for a lens? Allow your tasks and plans to filter through your long-term goals.

5. Read a photography book a month

Many professional photographers have tremendous resources for up and coming photographers. Check out this list to get you started.

6. Join or Start a photo club

Camaraderie between photo buddies and colleagues is a treasure worth investing time in. Gain invaluable advice, and accountability by joining a local photo club. And if you don’t have a photo club in your town – start one!

7. Subscribe to 5 new industry leader blogs

David Jay. Jasmine Star. Mike Cologne. Dane Sanders. Scott Roberts. Becker. Ron Dawson. The list of industry leaders who enjoy giving back to others is endless. Glean from their wisdom and experience as often as you can!

8. Compete!

Submitting your photos to competitions is one of the greatest ways to get your photos off your hard drive and into the sights of important judges and industry leaders. Remember, it’s not about who you know, but who knows you!

9. Plan a formal shoot a week

If you want to learn more about portraiture, schedule a months’ worth of weekly sessions with models, couples, or seniors. Take a few hours to set up a shoot with as many details as possible, and build your techniques and portfolio.

10. Share online

Facebook, Flikr, and other photo sharing sites are obvious ways to share your photos online, but don’t stop there. Set up private albums for friends and family on picasa albums, or other services that will enable ordering and downloads to the people you love.

11. Learn a new slideshow program

Windows Movie Maker and iMovie may be convenient, but they may not offer you all the tools you need to display your photos with wow! Take some time to learn another program for your slideshows to create the most professional look.

12. Create a photo book a month

What do you do with the photos you take every month? Instead of simply storing them on a hard drive, put them into a simple photo book. Use Blurb, MyPublisher, or Snapfish for easy and professional looks. You will be ecstatic when, at the end of 2010, you have 12 books featuring your work!

13. Build your website

Whether it’s a free template or a friend’s design, take the time to present your work on your own piece of the web. It adds to your credibility, and enables you to easily share your work with others.

14. Challenge yourself with flash lighting

Flash is bad – NOT! Flash may be a bit scary and intimidating, but a little bit of discipline and hard work, and you can become a flash pro. Check out some of these articles to join the ranks of the proud flash photographers.

15. Get a photography or business mentor

Sometimes it takes a little bit of assistance to get where you need to be in creative or business endeavors. Send

16. Inquire at a newspaper

Look for connections in unexpected places. Even if you don’t want to go into photojournalism full time, getting some work at a newspaper will give you some good connections, and provide opportunities you may not have had otherwise.

17. Display your work

Many local cafes and coffee shops are interested in supporting local artists. Make some appointments to sit down and inquire if the owner is willing to display your work on the venue’s walls. You may not be able to display them for sales, but you will generate additional interest and possible clientele.

18. Get published

These days, being published does not simply mean by paper medium. There are hundreds of blogs relevant to the kind of photography you want to create. Do some investigating. Make a list of a dozen blogs and submit your work. Then – be persistent! Be cordial, but follow through.

19. Take monthly photo walks

Do you take photo’s to relax? Sometimes amid the tension of photographing for business, or photographing for development, it’s easy to forget the enjoyment of photography. Return to the joy by scheduling an afternoon or an hour to walk through a new town, trail, or area and find inspiration. Your eyes will be opened in a new way, and you will remember the euphoria of creative discovery.

20. Plan a monthly calendar for next year

What one theme do you love more than anything else? Florals? Landscapes? Smiles? Eyes? Shoes? Find your favorite theme, and plan to shoot one photo a month in that theme, and put them together in a calendar for next year. Friends and family will love the calendar, and it gives you an excuse to display your work on the walls of homes!

21. Follow a regular photo blog-posting schedule

Photo-blogging weekly will develop your skills rapidly. Your readers will force you to be accountable to shooting consistently, and you will be able to see your development by leaps and bounds.

22. Teach a class

You are always one step ahead of someone else. Challenge yourself to host a photography class for a group in your area of influence. A church youth group class on composition. A low income after school program on creativity. A free reach out to professional amateurs on best business practices. You have something to offer, and sharing with others will also help you know your stuff as best you can.

23. Promote your work in an online Gallery

Can’t afford to print and frame dozens of pieces in a photo collection? Don’t have to. Using a hosting provider such as Zenfolio, Shutterfly, or Pictage, you can bring your work into the homes of others with the click of a mouse. Force yourself to use your photos instead of allowing them to sit on a hard drive, never to be used.

24. Give away monthly desktop calendars

There’s no better way to stay in the thoughts and mind of future clients than offering monthly calendar wallpaper for free download. Design something with a photo, and perhaps a special quote or verse. Post on your blog, and forward it on to friends and family. If it’s really cool, they’ll forward it on to others also. Suddenly, strangers will know who you are, and you will be competition on a different level.

25. Reach a hand

Get involved with HelpPortrait, or offer your services to a Boys and Girls club, or other nonprofit. These organizations are infamous for having low budgets for multimedia, and if you can offer your skills for their cause, it will bring your name out, and give you value and worth that you don’t otherwise have.

26. Develop a post processing workflow

Systemizing your work is the best way to a quick development for future work. Even if you are not in the business of photography, deciding on a good workflow for every single shoot will help you save time and energy in post processing.

27. Create a business plan

Want to start a business? Or already have? The best way to get a quick start on competition is to develop a business plan answering questions such as, “where do I want to go?” “What do I want my business to become?” and “who is my ideal client?” Even if you are not sure about starting a photography business, setting a few goals for jobs will help you pay for that new lens.

28. Experiment with new presets

Develop your own editing style by playing with presets. Start here for a good list of presets, and then adapt them to your own style. Your photos will become more cohesive and specific – causing you to have a brand with your images no one else can mimic.

29. Make personal postcards to send friends

Print mail is a rarity these days. Imagine how you would stand out if you sent out monthly postcards to select friends and family? No one can afford an entire Christmas List every month, but you can rotate the list of recipients by month. Your work will get out, you will bless others with your images, and once again, you won’t have images sitting on a hard drive, idle and wasted.

30. Take a workshop

There is no shortage of professional photographers wanting to give back through workshops. You can find workshops of all kinds, levels, and price points. Want to get away for a weekend? Or study at your own pace? You can find a workshop on location or online and continue the transformational journey of your photography in an unforgettable and rewarding way.

Mommy Snacks.net

With a large family and a small budget, I am always looking for ways to save money, particularly ways to save money that don't require a lot of extra work on my part. The owner of this blog came and spoke to the mom's group I am part of a few months ago and I can't believe I haven't shared a link to her page.

http://mommysnacks.net/

I love the way she breaks down the savings by store and by coupon flyer. Makes saving amazingly simple! It also helps that she shops the same stores (Kroger and Meijer) that are local so the savings are close by.

It has really raised my awareness of shopping at both Walgreens and CVS for some substantial savings! When I visited her blog today, it looks like there is a new format, but for those of you visiting for the first time it won't make any difference, might take me a few minutes to get used to it! If you go and visit, make sure you look at the previous posts so you can see the savings for this week at Kroger and the drugstores.

Union Township Fire Station Tour and Our Day Today!

This morning we went and toured a local fire station that is located under a water tower. One of the mom's in our 4-H group set up the tour for our group. Very cool and very educational! It is about 30 minutes from here, but it was so worth the drive to see and tour it! Our tour guide was amazing and the tour took 2 hours, but no one seemed to get bored or wanted to leave. The two little boys had never done a fire station tour (that they remember) and they were both in awe of the HUGE trucks. I took a picture of Luke standing next to the truck tire, it was a good 6" (maybe even a foot) taller than he is!














































Another cool thing was that he completely dressed out Emily in all of the fire gear...all 70 lbs of it! It was so funny when he was looking for a volunteer, he kept saying he wanted someone about his size (he was MAYBE 5' 3" with shoes on) so Emily was completely NOT paying attention to him and he says....with BLONDE hair and wearing a PURPLE jacket, she was shocked that he had picked her. Yeah, the same size as him, in his DREAMS....Emily is 5' 8". I couldn't believe EVERYTHING that a firefighter has to put on to go into a burning building. I have such respect and awe for firefighters, to put yourself in harms way to save others. It takes a very special person!

















































Here is a link http://www.union-township.oh.us/fire/stations.html#51 not that it is that great of a picture. The building/water tower is 140 ft tall and 78 ft in diameter. The first 4 floors are the fire station (1 and 2), living quarters/offices (3) and a public tv station (4)...those are the levels with windows, above that sits the 2 million gallons of water! It was a little freaky to realize that 2 million gallons of water (at 8 lb a gallon) was overtop of us the entire time. I think the funniest thing he told us what that when they finished the building, there wasn't enough water pressure on the 4th floor for the toilets to flush! So we learned water towers AREN'T for water pressure, they are for water quantity!

The van wouldn't start after we made a quick stop at Office Max on the way home. Had to wait for a friend to come and jump the battery for me. Luckily it was in the lowers 20s so we didn't get too cold waiting the 45 minutes for her to get there. We ran into the $ Store to get snacks to munch on while we waited and the kids entertained themselves by drawing pictures, I was surprised they did as well as they did! We replaced the battery about 4 years ago, but I guess with it being a V-8 it drains/draws a lot of juice...I have no idea, I just hope it is only the battery and not the alternator or something else.

This afternoon, Hannah has a job interview, she has to go back tomorrow for another interview and to do some personality test. She actually got the interview from a customer when she was working at the mall at Santa Express, the asst. manager of the place was in line with his kids and really liked Hannah and her personality so he asked her to come and interview with his manager. Jacob has a basketball game tonight, Jay and Brett took him. Emily is at dance. It is snowing and the roads are getting icy! I hate that! I slide halfway down the hill on Butterworth, praying that there was nothing coming and thanking that Lord that if it was my time to go that it was only me in the van and not the kids.

Chili is on the stove and we will be having 3-ways and coneys for dinner once the troops have all returned home!

Happy 2010!



















A few weeks behind schedule, but the family picture is done! Can't say that I really like it, but everyone is in it and no one is screaming! I hate that they use those steps to make you look taller, Emily has a good 2 inches on me! So from left to right, front row: Grant, William, Luke and Brett. Middle row: Cade, Jacob and Sophia. Back row: Hannah, Jay, Laura and Emily.

Merry Christmas!

Easy Potato Soup Recipe:

1 bag frozen diced potatoes (I believe it is a 32 oz bag)...if you want to use fresh potatoes, peel and dice until you have 2 lb.

32 oz broth (I use vegetable, but used to use chicken, only difference seems to be the color the soup is when you are done, it is darker with vegetable broth)

medium onion--chopped (or cheat like I do and use between 1/3 and 1/2 of a bag of the frozen diced onions from Kroger)...I have made this with no onions and it turns out fine

pepper to taste (I like to use white pepper)

1/2 of an 8oz bag of cheese for soup, use the remainder of bag to top soup when it is done

bacon for topping soup if you desire (I buy the precooked crumbled bacon at Sams, makes it easier because I don't have to fry it up)

Place potatoes, broth, onion and pepper in large pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, stir frequently...after about 30 or 40 minutes you will notice that it no longer looks like broth and potatoes, but that the potatoes are starting to break down, decide if you want slighlty chunky soup or smooth soup (we like our slightly chunky), if you want smooth, cook it longer, if not, then add the cheese now (if you want it smooth, add the cheese after you have cooked it about 10 more minutes). Stir until cheese melts, you will see the consistency of the soup change when you add the cheese. Serve topped with cheese and bacon (if you desire). Everyone in my family except Will loves this soup, his comment...it has too much potato!

Holidayfest at the Beach Waterpark

A few pictures:























































































I really think the economy has hit the entertain business hard. Holidayfest certainly wasn't what it has been in the past.Attendance was low despite decent weather (sunny and the upper 30's). The kids had a great time, but many elements were missing like the paddleboats, merry-go-round, berry-go-round, and the best santa around(replaced with a lame skinny santa with a fake beard!)! I was quite ticked off that they wanted to charge me $3 to take picture with Santa using MY OWN CAMERA, so needless to say, I didn't take any! We will just go to the mall and visit a Santa with a REAL BEARD, even Sophia said the Beach's santa was a "phoney bologny" because she saw him pull off his beard to drink hot chocolate! The carriage ride was fun and the kids enjoyed iceskating and who doesn't love the baby animals to pet and feed? We all enjoyed our first hot chocolate of the season!

Details:
Holidayfest at the Beach Waterpark
Submitted by Laura Riesenberg

When: Friday, December 4th 10 AM to 4 PM lunch available from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM!

Where: Beach Waterpark Mason, Ohio

Cost: Admission $6.50 ages 13 and up, $5 for ages 3 -12!!!, optional lunch $6 for adults, $4 children ages 3-9, Parking free. Platinum pass holders get in FREE, regular pass holders need to pay admission price! Pay at the gate when you arrive or pre-purchase your tickets
online (see info below).

Organizer: Laura Riesenberg, please RSVP so that I can get a count to the waterpark! When you RSVP please let me know the number of people in your party and if they will be eating lunch or not.

The park has agreed to open the park EXCLUSIVELY FOR HOMESCHOOLERS on Friday December 4th from 10 AM until 4 PM. The offer is incredible (includes all activities inside the park) and we will have the park entirely to ourselves. This should be a great activity for
everyone...toddlers, preschoolers, elementary schooler and teens. There are activities for ALL ages, including teens...here’s what your admission includes: Skating and skate Rental, Carriage Rides (pulled by tractor), Toboggan Slide, Live Nativity, Polar Pearl Palace, Holiday Lights and Dazzling Animated Lights Displays, South Pole Petting Corral, Holiday Railway, and Festhaus Pavilion. We typically set up an area with crafts and coloring pages for the little ones, should they need to get indoors and take a break.

Admission $6.50 per person (ages 3 - 12 are $5) , children 2 and under free. Free Parking! Typically, admission and to do all activities at Holiday Fest at The Beach around $25.00 (ice skating alone is usually $6). This special rate is a savings of $18.50 per person. Parking is $5.50 per car on any operating day, but will be waived for our visit. If you chose, you can purchase your tickets online in advance by visiting http://tickets.thebeachwaterpark.com and entering the store name of “homeschool”.

MEAL OPTION: $6 per person ages 10 and up, $4 children 3-9 . HolidayFest at The Beach Catering Staff will serve the buffet style meal in an exclusive pavilion during a specified time frame (starting at 11:30 PM) which includes Hot Dogs, Chili (with onions and shredded cheese on the side), Macaroni & Cheese, Jumbo Cookies and Beverages. PLEASE let me know when you RSVP if you want the meal or not. Meal tickets are also available for purchase online.

Participants are welcome to pack lunches, but meals will need to be eaten in the picnic area outside the park. The only food that can be consumed within the park is food purchased from the Beach.

All You can drink wristbands $3.00 (they have guarenteed that drinks will be available the entire time, even at the end!). I have been told that coffee will be ready the minute we enter the park!

Santa will be making an appearance!

Don’t let the fear of cold weather keep you away from this wonderful event. We had an awesome time in years past even with snow! It wasVERY WARM in the tents!

Please feel free to share this information with your homeschooling friends, regardless of their group affiliation, but remember that they need to RSVP to Laura becasue I must get a count to the Beach for staffing purposes.

Girl Scout Badge Work:

Sophia had to pose the following question to women in her life. Since most of the woman we are friends with hold less than traditional views, I ended up posing the question to some of the more tradition women we know and on my facebook page and we meshed the answers so that Sophia didn't have to spend the entire meeting defending her answers....poor kid, she really doesn't know just how untraditional we are! Honestly I felt this was a very deep question for a 7 year old to be pondering and discussing, but we gave it a whirl!

The question (in a nutshell): the 3 most important issues facing women today?

Answer (from our friends) that she presented:
1) Equal pay for equal work
2) Access to healthcare for all women and children
3) Dispelling the myth of the superwoman: we can not do it ALL!

Now, for my point here......these are the answers I would have given her to take to the meeting.

1) The devaluing of MOTHERING as a career. I would spend hours on why I think this is important, but do you think my voice would be hear amongst a troop of girls whose mothers almost all work outside the home? I don't want to sound like a grade A bitch here, and I know some woman have to work and some enjoy working, but I think that if we put the same value on the choice of mothering as a career as we do on say being a lawyer or a doctor, that women would be better off.

2) The MYTH that education must come from an INSTITUTION. OK, would you expect anything less from an unschooler? I think this view is harmful to both men and women.

3) And the third issue, not sure how to word it exactly, but it would come out something like this, "women need to quit being so critical and judgemental of other women". I think we are our own harshest critics. I suppose this is similar to the 3rd answer Sophia gave to her troop, we can't be superwomen and we need to quit beating ourselves up over it, but I somehow want to take it a step further. I think we need to encourage other women, lend a helping hand, be willing to ask for help without feeling embarrassed.

BTW, Sophia was only 1 of 2 girls out of her troop of 11 girls that even bothered to ask anyone the question.

So, if you feel up to leaving a comment we would love to hear what you think are the 3 most important issues facing women today?