Don't Make Me Stop this Car

It's a Christmas Miracle

2011-11-27T20:36:00.000-05:00

Consider this an early Christmas Miracle...an actual post on this blog. I had all intentions of posting at least once a month through the fall, but take one new full-time job, add a middle school volleyball coaching position and throw in an international student for kicks and giggles and there you have all my best intentions. To paraphrase...it has been a little nuts around here. So nuts that I have hardly taken a picture all fall.

This is our international student, Hee Jin. She is from South Korea, is 15 years old and is meeting Ben Franklin for the first time on a recent visit to the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.

This is Junior at a local orchard. The next several pictures are from the same day.

Although you would think they are all flashing the peace sign, it is actually a Korean "pose" that Hee Jin flashes in every single picture.

Jim turned 42 in November. I turned 29. Don't ask me why there are only 5 candles on his cake.

For the last two months I've been planning our school's auction. This is a mosaic of Van Gogh's Starry Night that Brown Sugar's class made. It sold for $2400. Not bad for being made out of magazine scraps.

This is a tapestry that Sparkle's class made. It sold for around $300.
This picture doesn't do it justice. It was beautiful!

Our favorite kindergarten pilgrim.

That's it. Not another picture to be found.

All three of the girls are in the church production of "The Gospel According to Scrooge". Hee Jin is playing in the orchestra and the other two are in a school house scene and play extras. Tuesday night starts dress rehearsals and then they go straight into 5 weekend performances. They have another 5 performances the following weekend.
After having our Odyssey for 10 years, we bought a new one. The old one is for sale. Just saying.
Junior is doing well in kindergarten. Although he likes to fuss about doing his homework because "I already know how to write my letters. Why do I need to do it again?"
We spent Thanksgiving in Philly. Marnie treated us to a fabulous meal, we went to the Thanksgiving Day Parade, saw the light show at Macy's, walked through Dickens Village, saw the light show of the future at the Comcast Center and had an all-around wonderful time.
Sparkle played volleyball on the middle school team this fall. I coached along with another mom. It was fun, but I have a whole new appreciation for coaches. Much, much easier to be the player. Out of 12 players, 9 had never picked up a volleyball before mid-August.
She signed up to play Girl's Lacrosse in the spring. Have no idea what that sport is about.
Junior played on a rec soccer team. Brown Sugar is still taking piano lessons and doing quite well.
Hee Jin plays the flute. When she arrived, she told me she had only taken 4 months of lessons. So I hooked her up with a teacher, told the teacher she was a beginner and left it at that. After the lesson, the teacher says, "How many months did you say she has taken?" Me: 4. Teacher: She is easily advanced intermediate" And if you could hear her play...you would be shocked and amazed. I don't know if we should call her a musical savant or what...but I don't know of any kid who after four months is playing complex pieces of classical music. And is in an orchestra, to boot.

Well, I think that pretty much sums up the highlights of the last four months. I'll be sure to post pictures of the girls from the show!!

I promise :)

First Day of School?

2011-09-07T21:33:00.000-04:00

Today was the first day of school. For the first time in seven years, it rained on the first day so we had to take the traditional pictures inside. But it didn't just rain, the remnants of Hurricane Lee are here and it has been pouring for a few days. The school day started at 8:00AM and by 9:30 school districts started announcing early dismissals because of severe flooding. Our school was cleared out by 1:30. Day two isn't looking too promising either...the rain is still falling and the rivers and creeks have yet to crest. Some schools couldn't event get their kids home and are having to house them at the schools tonight. Yes, it is that bad here! So while we build an ark, enjoy my very dark and grainy first day of school pictures. (Joanne was conveniently missing during picture time, but she was a happy freshman today :)

Sixth Grader

Daddy and the kindergartner who could not remember a single detail of his first day of school.

Looking dapper in his tie and sweater vest.

Fourth grader.

Ridiculous

2011-08-27T22:00:00.000-04:00

Jim cleaned out his closet and this was the pile of tee shirts he gave me to take to Goodwill. The ridiculous part is that almost all of them have never been worn. And the even more ridiculous fact is that there are about the same number of tee shirts still in his closet.

Canal Boat Road

2011-07-31T21:31:00.002-04:00

Columbia Street 2.0 Redux

2011-07-30T21:31:00.000-04:00

We took two steps forward and one step backward tonight.

We added a sprinkler and ice pops to the fun of "Columbia Street" but we lost our chairs.

Two-Wheeler

2011-07-29T23:17:00.000-04:00

A trip to Indiana would not be complete without a child learning to ride a bike under the tutelage of Uncle Deke.

Columbia Street 2.0

2011-07-29T23:10:00.000-04:00

Only a very few of you will understand the humor in this title and picture.

I'll just leave it at that.

Powered Para Gliding

2011-07-29T23:02:00.000-04:00

If you thought watching Jim jumping out of an airplane was crazy, let me introduce you to my Uncle Deke who recently took up Powered Para Gliding. He 'wowed' us with skills tonight as he took off and landed, basically, in his yard.

The gist is that you wait for a little wind to lift up your parachute, start running and if the science of aerodynamics is correct, you have lift off. You wear a motor on your back that can power you for up to three hours.

Coming in for a landing.

Perfect view of the motor strapped to his back. It's like a giant fan.

Jeff served as the ground crew.

CRAZY FUN.

To see Uncle Deke in action, you can watch his solo flight here.

Made in China

2011-07-19T22:29:00.000-04:00

Here are some funnies from the boys:

1. They are cracking up at everything they find that says "Made in China". Which is basically everything.

2. Tonight we took them bowling, and I think it is safe to say they have never bowled in their life.

3. They didn't want to go bowling at first. They wanted to go shopping. So far while in America they have bought: iTouch, iPad, Playstations, Nike apparel, Video games, Puma apparel, Reebok apparel, watches, and other stuff. Some of them barely brought any clothes with them so they'll have room to take all this stuff back.

4. We made them banana splits for dessert. Another first. Another homerun.

5. Mike (aka Yuming Zhang) wore a sweater and jeans today. Did I mention it was 99 degrees with 85 percent humidity? And they had an outdoor picnic to attend. And rode on school buses for two hours.

6. Jim is upstairs right now showing them how to sleep in the bed under the covers. Some things are just not elementary, my dear Watson.

7. We also had to have our third discussion (in as many days) about how to use the shower. And then after each took a shower, Jim shone a bright light on them and asked if they had put the shower liner IN the tub, and closed the shower curtain. Or the bathroom door for that matter.

8. When you are bored the next time, Google "Chinese bathrooms" and "Chinese showers" and wait to be disgusted and intrigued all at the same time.

9. We also have had to demonstrate repeatedly what to do with toilet paper. I'll let you use your imagination as to what they do with it.

10. We determined that Harry is the ringleader of the group. That's the title you get when you are the only one who seems to understand English. Thank you God for Harry (aka Congyu Wang).

11. As Jim was checking on the bathroom he discovered that the boys were washing their clothes in the sink and hanging them up wet all over our furniture. So he collected all the wet skivvies, and sent them to the basement where I continued to razzle dazzle them with one of those new fangled washing machines. There was an audible "WOW" from the crowd when I turned it on. Wait until they see what I can do with a dryer.

The Boys

2011-07-17T23:00:00.000-04:00

The girls are away...so we loaded up the house with boys. Seriously. We just picked up four middle-school ages boys from China who are staying with us for the week. They will join their group during the day for ESL and sightseeing and we will entertain them in the evenings. So far, the trampoline has been a huge hit and I'm pretty certain none of them had ever been on one before.

Next up with the Wii where Junior finally had a little competition. Not sure if they had played Wii before, but they all definitely knew their way around a videogame.

Should be an interesting week! Please welcome to the old blog...Harry, Joseph, Mike and Nathan. I'd give you their Chinese names, but that would require much angst on my part as we aren't even sure which are their first and last names. So we'll just stick with the American names they chose.

They are all 13 years old, have had between 5-7 years of English and are all classmates. If you ever decide to take in students, I highly suggest taking a gaggle of them so when you ask questions you are guaranteed that at least one of them will be able to answer. Jim has spent half the night instructing them on how to use the shower and toilet and I keep hearing copious amounts of air freshener being used. I guess that is a hazard of having boys.

Summer Camp

2011-07-12T23:10:00.000-04:00

The girls went to camp a few weeks ago with their friends. How many of you went to summer camp? I started going to camp when I was in second grade all the way through 10th grade. Good, good, good times!!!

The Gift

2011-07-07T23:43:00.000-04:00

For as long as I can remember, Jim has wanted to skydive. And bungee jump. And any other thrill seeking adventure. So when I saw a Groupon for sky diving last October, I knew I had found the perfect gift for him.

I should say at this point that I'm always on the search for the perfect gifts for Jim but never seem to find anything that's just right. My original plan was to keep this for Christmas, but I had to speed up the timetable when Jim completely surprised me with an Android for my birthday...something I had wanted, but never, ever expected to receive. Not to be outdone, I decided to go ahead and give the skydiving to him for his birthday which was just around the corner.

(And for those of you who are trying to reconcile the timeline since Jim's birthday is 10 days before mine...he couldn't wait to give me his fantastic gift so I got it a month before my birthday.)

Giddy with excitement, and knowing I was giving the gift of the century, I ceremoniously gave Jim the skydiving gift certificate. His response?

*Crickets*

Yes, he said all the cordial thank yous and wows, but he didn't jump up and down. He didn't say it was the best gift ever. He didn't say I had outdone myself. He didn't high five me. He quietly put it back in the card and set it down.

And that was it.

He never said a word about it to anyone. He didn't tell a soul about the best gift he had ever received. Nothing. So then I got thinking...he never really wanted to skydive and now I've called his bluff by giving him a gift certificate.

So I decide to say nothing about my most awesome and fantabulous gift. Now it is spring and I know the certificate expires in June. But I decide to say nothing and just let it expire, if that's what he wants to do. I don't care if he skydives, in fact, I would prefer not having him jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.

But there is another factor at play here. When I found the most fabulous deal on Groupon, I called a friend whose husband had a similar skyjumping desire and she bought him a gift certificate too so they could JUMP TOGETHER. Wouldn't that be fun?!! And then I found out that a second friend's wife had bought him a gift certificate for sky diving and he was looking for a few other guys to go with...sure, Jim would love to do that, just don't tell him about the certificate...it's a gift. And then a third friend who helped me buy the Groupon accidentally bought two gift certificates. I told him that I'd find a buyer for it, but he said that he'd actually like to use it and he'd go with Jim.

So now it is June and we all know if these guys don't use the gift certificate soon, the dream is going to die. So to make this very long story much shorter....the guys come up with a date and the skydiving company decides to extend the certificate into July to accommodate their schedules. But still, no excitement. No talking. No high fives. Crickets.

Which brings us to today. I'll leave the details to Jim, but they all went up and they all came down. And they lived to tell about it. Now there is great excitement. Much testosterone. Grunting. And high fives.

The big adventure was videotaped...so stay tuned!

*sorry for the blurry pictures. I lifted them off another guy's FB page.

Joanne

2011-05-31T21:42:00.000-04:00

To fully appreciate this story, I must back up to the middle of February. I was at the airport saying goodbye to Jinny, a South Korean 12-year-old who had come to the US for four weeks to experience American culture and school. As you may recall, Jinny had never been away from home, let alone half way around the world. She cried the entire first week; had no desire to experience American food or culture and spent her every penny calling home. But we loved her and missed her the minute she hopped on the plane.

Then...about 30 seconds after she hopped on the plane, while I'm still standing in the airport, the agency director chases me down and we have this conversation.

"Would you be interested in having another student? One that doesn't cry all the time?"

"Um, well possibly?" (Then knowing how he operates, I felt compelled to ask the following question).
"Is she arriving now?"

"Ha, ha, oh no. It would be for next school year."

"Oh, well let me talk to my family and get back to you."

And then about three weeks later I find out that this same student was wanting to come the beginning of April and audit the last two months of classes so she could start honing her English, getting use to American classroom, etc. This was the beginning of March and at that point the school still hadn't accepted her and she didn't have a visa. I figured we had a month or more before she was even thinking of hopping a plane.

Fast forward to a week later. I receive an email from the school's international student director.

Dear Natalie,

I'm so excited to meet your new student next week when she arrives. Let me know if you need anything.

Sincerely, Kim

At this point, I screamed "WHAT!!!!!!" and zipped off a quick reply.

Dear Kim,

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't think she was arriving for another month or more. What day is she arriving? I don't even know her name. Help!!!!!

Freaking Out, Natalie

Long story short...that was a Wednesday. Hee Jin Kim arrived the following Tuesday. She goes by Joanne. She is 15 years old and will be a ninth grader in the fall. Her brother has already been her for a year studying at another school in the area. He's a year older.

She has been a delight and I'm glad we were flexible and rolled with the changes. She is intelligent, responsible, kind, helpful, and mature. She fits well with our family and works very hard at her studies. Although at this point we have only committed to having her in our home a year, she is in the states until she graduates from high school. And then she plans on attending a US University like Univ of Penn, Harvard or Princeton. Yes, she is an overachiever.

Like Jinny, she also speaks some Chinese and Japanese. She is well-traveled and actually will be going home on the 13th for two months. She will spend part of the summer in the Philippines with her father on business.

So that's the 4-1-1 on Joanne. You will see much more of her on this old blog.

Remember Me?

2011-05-28T22:44:00.000-04:00

I hate to say it, but this blog has become like the red-headed stepdaughter...loved, but often ignored. I wish I had some good reason for going two months without posting, Actually, I think after Pia was booted off American Idol I pretty much decided that the shock and awe of her departure was more than I could handle and I just couldn't bear to write again. Or something like that.

Although I could flood you with a million posts of what has happened over the last two months, I thought I'd save you the trouble and just sum it all up in one.

The girls have been part of American Heritage Girls this year. AHG is basically like a Christian girl scouts. They have loved working on badges and doing all kinds of new and exciting things like rock climbing, using a flight simulator, creative writing, etc. They just had their year-end awards ceremony and Brown Sugar earned 8 badges and so did Sparkle. This picture is of Brown Sugar helping to man a concession stand back in March to earn money for the troop.

In third grade, the history focus in on the Greek & Romans. The highlight of the year was a Greek feast held in March. There was Greek costumes, food, crafts, and a weary Greek traveler who told the class tales about his travels.

Nothing like a good toga party to get rid of the winter blues!

Next came the start of t-ball season. I will probably write an entire post soon on t-ball! If you want a good hour of entertainment, go to a t-ball game.

Junior loves t-ball and has done really well with the basics. His last game is this week!

In April, I traveled with 5 kids via subway to Washington, DC for a day. We visited the White House, Washington Monument, and Museum of American History. But the kids' favorite thing was playing tag on the mall. Go figure!

The reason we were in Washington was to meet Jim at the finish line of the American Odyssey Race. He was on a relay team of 12 runners who ran from Gettysburg to Washington. Yes, they ran 200 miles in 35 hours. Without stopping. It's a fun, crazy race for fun, crazy people.

Next up was Brown Sugar's 9th birthday on May 2. We celebrated at Texas Roadhouse with a few friends, gifts and a lot of meat.

Daddy was away on a business trip on her actual birthday, so when he got back we celebrated again with an ice cream cake.

This is Joanne. Joanne is another post. But to sum it up quickly, she is a Korean exchange student who is living with us for the next year. That is her brother on the right, who is also in the states studying. He lives with another family in the area.

The last day of school was this past Thursday! We are all in total agreement that we are ready for summer!

Also on Thursday was Junior's 6th birthday! We celebrated with another ice cream cake, gifts and a stay in the basement waiting out a tornado warning with hysterical kids.

This trampoline was the kids' birthday present this year. Jim has spent the last three days putting it together. The kids jumped their brains out today, so I will declare the gift a success.

This.....is American Idol

2011-03-24T08:17:00.000-04:00

I'm going to admit right up front that this is a lame recap of last night's American Idol. They all looked great, sounded great and, well, were great. There just wasn't much to say wrong about them. Even Steven controlled himself and really only had 2-3 memorable lines...2 of which I can't repeat, but hey, the guy is making progress.

Idol who was eaten by Wolfman Jack, had his hair slicked back and then took a stroll through a trio of violins while growling: Casey (and, yes, it looked as strange as it sounded)

Idol who received a hug from a judge while on stage. And his grandma. And the 12 girls in the front row: Jacob

Idol who wore an unfortunate dress that made her hips look huge and at times made me think she was Kirstie Alley: Lauren

Judge who bothered Jim with her blue eyeshadow: JLo

Idol who looked constipated at times trying to keep his eyes open while singing: Stefano

Idol who blew out all that beautiful hair straight, and sweet mercy, wore short shorts: Haley

Idol mother who cooking was dissed in front of America by Gordan Ramsey: Stefano's mum

Idol who looks like Howdy Doody and wasn't sure about doing motown. But hee haw, he did it: Scotty

Idol who can do no wrong: Pia

Idol who needed to be sprayed down with Cling Free b/c his hair was a fly away hot mess: Paul

Judge who didn't say pitchy the entire night: All of them!

Idol who truly dances to the beat of a different drummer and who I predict will be booted: Naima

Who was your favorite of the night? Who's going home?

Perfect Pitch Just Isn't in Baseball

2011-03-16T22:52:00.000-04:00

I just can't stay silent any longer. I. must. comment. on. American. Idol. Finally, we have a season with lots of talent, lots of characters and lots to comment on. As always, I have no musical talent or knowledge. I just know what sounds good to me. Oh, and just for kicks and giggles, I'm going to quote Steven throughout because, really, nothing really beats a good Steven quote. Not even a good Paula quote. And that's saying a lot.

Naima: When she said she was doing "What's Love Got to Do With It" I rolled my eyes and said boring because what can you really do with that song. But I did like it and she is growing on me a little bit. I just think she is a little too out there to be the final Idol standing.

"You opened up a can of #&*@#" What?

Paul: Paul is insane. And I think he may be ADD because he can't hold still to save his life. It's like he is a drunken sailor trying to sing a song. His quirkiness reminds me of Taylor Hicks and we all know how that turned out. He'll be around a while because he is interesting but he won't be able to go the distance.

"Cool dude in a loose mood."

Thia: I really like Thia. She is always so poised and polished, especially considering her age. But I would like to see her lighten up a little. I just think she is an old soul. Not as old as my soul though b/c my skin doesn't look that beautiful at all.

James: Why does he squint? Repeatedly. You can't go wrong with Bon Jovi and he didn't. Again, every season needs a rocker and he's a good one. What was hanging off his backside? A tail? A chamois to wash Ryan's car? His shirt tail?

"I've got leftover sandwiches under my bed that are older than you."

Haley: I have not been a fan of hers but she won me over tonight. She's got a jazzy, bluesy thing going on that I like but I did not like that yodeling noise from last week. She has a distinct voice but I'm not sure how that's going to fit as an Idol. Girl's got good hair too!

Stefano: Cute as a button.

Pia: Hands down my favorite. The girl can sing. Every. Time.

Scotty: Does anyone else think he looks like Howdy Dowdy?

Karen: The B52s called and they want their beehive back. With that said, I liked the song better than her past performances. Her look just kept throwing me off because it didn't match the song and its vibe. And now Jim has distracted me with her hoop earrings by saying he could fit his leg through them.

Casey: Still not sure what to make of him. Okay, after seeing the parents it is all becoming more clear. Wow! Well, even though he reminds me of a hobbit. Or a werewolf. I do enjoy a little Casey although no matter how you do Nirvana it still comes out as screaming. Not a fan of the screaming. Plus, really, he only had to memorize like four words. And I couldn't even tell you what those four words were.

"Crazy and talented is the goop that great stuff is made from"

Lauren: Man, I wished I looked that good when I had the flu. And sounded that good, too. I like the Ethridge vibe a lot better than country vibe she has been sticking to. Mad props for finishing on a high note while under the weather.

Jacob: Over the top. That is Jacob. And apparently, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree after hearing mom being interviewed. I've always thought he seemed better suited for broadway with his theatricalness but I liked what he did with Heart. In fact, I liked his version better than when Carried Underwood did it.

"Gospel had a baby and named it Jacob"

Just Another Reason Why I Love Craig's List

2011-03-12T21:47:00.001-05:00

Ski

2011-03-06T20:58:00.000-05:00

After nearly 24 hours of rain here this weekend, I think it is pretty safe to say that ski season is officially over at ye old local ski slope. But it was a historical year as it marked the first time all five of us were on the slopes together. You won't see Sparkle in any of these pictures because she pretty much goes off skiing with her friends these days. Brown Sugar does well with all her skills and has gained a lot of confidence this year. And, Junior? Well, let's just say his nickname is "The Bullet" on the slopes. We just point him downhill and off he goes. Fast. Very fast. He's usually half way down the slope before I can even get off the lift. That's when I yell, "Jim!!!! Go after him."

The good news is we are finally a skiing family. The bad news is that mama is already the slowpoke of the group.

What 40 Year Old Women (and Alana) Do On a Friday Night

2011-02-26T17:37:00.002-05:00

It's no secret that food prices are on the increase. I estimate that my grocery bill has gone up 25% in just the last 6 months and experts say there are no signs of it stopping. So how is a mom suppose to feed a family these days without breaking the budget??

Aldi's, Amelia's and Sharp Shopper are favorite discount food places around here. Sharp Shopper is my new favorite. All of them have their pros and their cons, but there are definitely discounts to be found.

Crazy Michelle and Mrs. Sanelli, my partners in grocery crime

Last night I was introduced to the new frontier of discount grocery shopping....the food auction! My friend, "I'm not 40 yet" Alana, has been talking about and attending these food auctions for at least a year. Finding it to be a very strange concept, I really didn't pay much attention and was skeptical of the bargains to say the least. But my other friend, "Crazy Michelle", said that she and "Mrs. Sanelli" were going with IN4YAlana to a food auction Friday night and since it was practically in my backyard I decided I'd go along. If nothing else, I knew a Friday night hanging with these women would be fun and at the worst if the whole thing was a sham I could bail out early.

"I'm Not 40 Yet" Alana

What is a food auction? It is literally an auction (everyone gets a number) with an auctioneer.

Where does the food come from? The food at this auction was all name brand and had been extra inventory from stores or the cases had been damaged (but not the goods themselves) so the store had to reject the shipment. They were very up front about expiration dates and I don't think even 5% of the food was expired. The big draw at this auction was a freezer truck parked out back that was included as well.

What kind of food was it? It will vary from auction to auction and could include anything. This auction had canned goods, lots of frozen pizzas, paper products, meat, soda, snack foods, chips, granola bars, cereal, batteries, sports drinks, olive oil, candy, and on and on it went.

How does it work? The auctioneer holds up the item. Let's say it is a box of cereal. The bidding starts and the box sells for $1. The person who wins the bid can now choose the number of boxes of cereal he'd like to buy at a dollar a piece. Before the bidding starts you really aren't sure how many boxes of cereal they have...it could be 1 or it could be 6 cases worth. But after the winning bidder takes what they want then everyone else who would like to buy cereal for a dollar a box raises their number and they start handing it out. Depending on how many people want the item they may run out of it before they get to you. But that's the thrill of the food auction! In most cases all of us got the items and the quantity we wanted.

And that's the mechanics of the food auction. But the real question is were there any bargains. Well, I'll let our purchases speak for themselves. I purchased:

1 tub of Honey Braided Pretzels
2 cans of French's Fried Onion Rings

2 Wheaties Cereal
2 bags Snack Packs of Popcorn
2 Huntz BBQ Sauce
10 lb Ham
8 Steaks
1 Ham Steak

5 lb bag of Steak Fries

2 boxes of Stella Dora Cookies
1-64 oz Gaorade
2 packs of triple A batteries

1Martin's Honey BBQ chips

1Martin's Sea Salt Chips
2 Martin's Kettle Chips
1 Martin's BBQ Kettle Chips
1 Martin's Chips

2 Peanut Butter Eggs

My total bill: $58.77

The chips alone would've cost me $24 in the store and I paid just $9. The 8 steaks were $14. Batteries were a dollar a pack. The huge bag of steak fries was $2.

Still not a believer? I give you exhibit B: Crazy Michelle's haul. Crazy Michelle has 8 kids (now you know why she is Crazy Michelle...8 kids would make any woman insane) that eat her out of house and home on a daily basis. So she hit the food jackpot when she bought all this for just $200!!!!

Everything on the conveyer belt in this picture below was part of the deal. Go here to see a detailed inventory of what she bought (plus her perspective on the auction).

We estimate that it is about $900 worth of food. For $200.

I wanna go to a food auction!!! How do I find one? Auctionzip.com. Put in your zip code and a list of auctions will come up...not all will be for food, but you'll see them sprinkled within. Also check the little papers like The Guide and Shopper for auction announcements. This place was in New Cumberland and the said they are going to start having them about every 6-8 weeks.

Any other tips you want to share? So glad you asked!

1. Take a cooler with you. Periodically throughout the night we took the frozen items out to our cars and put in the coolers.

The meat I purchased.

2. Don't Take Kids. This auction started at 6pm and concluded at 10pm. There was not a single kid in attendance. These people mean business.

3. Take a girlfriend. Everything is more fun with a girlfriend or two or three. Plus, you'll need all those hands to get everyone's purchases out to the car.

4. Bring the mini-van. Or truck. Or cargo van. Leave the compact car at home. You're going to need all the room you can get...especially if several of you go together. Michelle had to ride home with strangers who offered to let her load up their cargo van. She reports they are all friends now...food auctions bring people together.

5. Make sure you know the payment terms before you go so you are prepared. At this auction, you were charged a 2% premium for using credit or check. Cash was preferred.

I'm a believer now and look forward to my next food auction! It was a fun way to spend a Friday night and definitely helped me tame the grocery budget. What do you think? Could you see yourself buying your food at an auction?

Our American Heritage Girl

2011-02-17T23:28:00.000-05:00

Brown Sugar joined American Heritage Girls this year. Their mission is to build women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country. It's a great program, but a lot of work! Of course, that's true of any worthwhile endeavor in life.

Jinny Go Home

2011-02-17T13:26:00.001-05:00

Our Korean student's four weeks in America ended last Thursday and I'd be fibbing if I didn't say we miss her a lot. Although she pretended to be torn about going home, I know she was quite ready to get back to her parents and her homeland. But she was a ton of fun and hopefully she will remember her time here fondly.

This picture was taken the night before she left. Her friend, Jessie, is her for 6-weeks but offered to come over that evening and help her pack. Jessie is staying with my BFF and her family so the girls saw each other often. Jessie goes back next week, but really has a desire to come back and study here in the near future.

These are all the 4-week winter term students at the airport the day they returned home. It was just a short 16-hour flight back via Dulles and Tokyo.

One last hug.

Jinny especially liked messing with Junior. When he would act up, we would tell him that we were going to fold him up and send him home with Jinny in her suitcase. Until the minute we left the airport, he wasn't sure if we were kidding him or not. I told him that Jinny's mom would make him eat octopus until he had a "fire in his belly". Oddly, it was an effective parenting technique...you are all welcome to borrow it anytime.
Despite our threats, he admitted the next morning, completely unprompted, that he missed her. And then again asked if I was serious about sending him home with her. I told him that her mom would take one look at him and promptly ship him back, so we may as well just keep him. Again, parenting gold.

Sequence was a favorite game of Jinny and her friends, although she preferred playing UNO Attack. Flying cards are fun no matter what language you speak which is why we gave her UNO Attack to take home with her.

Nothing says American like dinner at the Old Country Buffet.

Another Week Down

2011-01-27T12:18:00.000-05:00

Another week has flown by and I'm happy to report that Jinny has kicked her homesickness. Of course, I think that was helped along when last Thursday the local agency director called and asked if he could take her out for a few hours. He showed up with her two English teachers from Korea who are along as chaperones. They whisked her away and brought her back homesick-free. It was our very own intervention, Korean-style. When I asked her if she had fun seeing her teachers again she said, "Teacher very mean to me. Call me foolish. I no like her." Well whatever was said it worked because she hasn't shed a tear or lamented about her time here at all.

When she arrived I had set up a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzled for everyone to work on in case language was an issue. Language really hasn't been an issue, but the puzzled was still a hit. We just finished it and everyone was so proud!!

What would a trip to America be without shopping. We took her to the mall one day and let her oooh and aaah over all kinds of crazy things.

Random picture of Sparkle at the mall trying on sunglasses.

One Week

2011-01-20T09:12:00.000-05:00

It has been one week since we picked our exchange student up at the airport. Since then she has overcome jet lag, learned to play UNO, taken a math test, gone through two international phone cards, and learned what it's like to have a persky little brother. What she hasn't done is fully kicked the homesickness but she's trying hard to get that under control too.

I have learned that if you have an international student in your home for even a week you begin talking in short, choppy sentences and you leave out all adjectives and unnecessary words. Even when you are at work and not talking to your exchange student you'll talk like this,

"You want report?"

"Okay. I get for you."

So in celebration of us all making it to the one week mark, I'm going to give you a short, choppy list of interesting things we've learned about Jinny and Korea.

Jinny never been away from home. Ever.
She attend school from 9-9 each day in Korea.
After regular school she goes to math academy and then English academy.
She like Sparkle's blond hair.
She think Junior funny. And sometimes very angry.
She only likes food that puts "fire in her belly."
Her father owns store in Korea.
She has one brother. 19.
She loves to rollerskate and is very good at it.
She brought four winter coats and 3 pairs of pants.
She has never had a day off school because of bad weather.
She's a talker.
In Korea, she live in apartment building.
She study English since kindergarten.
Her parents speak no English.
I speak to her brother two times on phone.
She like jigsaw puzzles.
She no have TV or computer in her home.
When she at her grandmother's house, grandmother say no study. Must play.

Every Saturday the agency she is here with is taking her group on field trips around the region. This Saturday they are going to Washington, DC.

First Day of School

2011-01-14T21:09:00.000-05:00

That is...if you just arrived from Korea.

How'd it Go Today?

2011-01-13T20:28:00.002-05:00

Last night our exchange student arrived from Korea. So I got an email today from a friend who asked, "How did it go today?" I thought my answer to her question would interest all of you.

We went to pick up our exchange student at 5:30 last night and learn that the group missed their connecting flight in DC and won't be in until 11:05. So I return to airport at 11, students arrive all looking tired and scared. Mr. Kim, the agency director, asks the group in Korean to raise their hand if they speak English. Not. A. Single. Hand. Goes. Up. Mr. Kim turns to the host families and says, "Mmmmm. Interesting."

So they match us up and we get this cute girl with a huge personality. We retrieve her luggage and off we go. I tell her that we have 3 kids and give her their ages and she replies, "Wow. That's a lot of kittens. Do you have puppies? Because I don't like puppies." However, on the way home she is quite chatty and I find she does know considerably more English. So we get home, I give her a tour of the house and get her settled. She takes a shower and then tell her I'm going to bed (it's 1am) and she should get some rest too (they had been up for 24 hours).

At 4am she is knocking on our door. She's homesick. So I do what any good American mom would do and say "Why don't we go downstairs and watch some TV." Not even Little Einsteins or Pink Panther could convince her that she doesn't want to call her mom. She whips out a phone card and hands it to me. Now Little Einsteins and Pink Panther can't help me...the entire card is written in Korean. So I break the news that this American mom only speaks one language and she's going to have to pull herself together and read this card if she has any hope of ever speaking to her parents in the next 4 weeks. She goes into action and before we know it we're both doing the happy dance because the phone is ringing and her mom answers.

They talk but she still isn't convinced that she should've flown 15 hours around the world. Now she wants to email her mom. Great idea, I say. Until we realize that she can't sign into her email or write anything because (silly us) we have an alphabet keyboard and she needs a jibberish character keyboard. Fail. So she whips out the phone card and calls her mom again, I'm guessing she is telling her mom that America truly is not the technological wonder they were expecting. After this call she calms down a bit more. We start Googling pictures of Korea and trying to find her town on a map.

Around 5:30 we make a third call and her older brother gets on the line who speaks English and wants to talk to me. He assures me that she will be fine. She just homesick. Roger that.
At the stroke of 6 I say we should go wake up the girls (even though it is a half hour early) and meet them. They jump out of bed and within seconds they are all talking. An hour later, our gal is telling me that this is good. This will be good. She gives us a gift of stainless steel chop sticks. We give her a fork and knife to eat breakfast and she looks like I asked her to eat a spider. She has never used fork and knife before.

Now there is a knock at the door. Well look, here is another exchange student. Because the group got in so late the school said they didn't need to come in until Friday, but since this student's host parents both work I suggested she stay here for the day. So the two start yakking in Korean, laughing, and our girl declares again..."this will be good."

I go take a shower and leave our UN Ambassador to the Wii in charge of entertainment. When I come back down he has defeated the Koreans in 4 sports. So much for diplomacy.

We decide to go over to the school to see their classes and tour the school. This goes miles to helping them feel more comfortable. We finally get home. The minister of Wii takes over and lulls them both to sleep on the couch with the sounds of Mario.

Then I prepare to wow her by making the best rice she has ever had for dinner, and the only Korean staple I even know. Can you believe I totally botched 5 minute rice?!! She said it was very good. Just like home. Uh...I think not.

Right now they are playing on her portable translator and Sparkle is teaching her how to play with her DS. We'll finish off the day with a bowl of ice cream and see if we can get a whole night of sleep in.

Happy 11th Birthday, Sparkle

2010-12-29T23:29:00.001-05:00

Sparkle's birthday was on Tuesday and we celebrated with a quiet family dinner, and a VERY small cake because...

the next day she had a BIRTHDAY PARTY with 11 of her friends! She wanted an Amazing Race party so the girls traveled around the world stopping at 6 countries and doing fun challenges along the way. One stop was in Egypt where the girls had the Egyptian Mummy challenge.

Then it was on to Italy where these girls rocked the 'School Nerd' Challenge. They had to spell out their school name with their bodies.

Then it was on to Mexico where they tried to move cookies from their foreheads to their mouths using nothing but their facial movements. Try it sometime...hours of fun.

Stack Attack had them making a pyramid of 36 cups in 60 seconds.

Of course there was a Pit Stop with ice cream cake.

And gifts.

It's a known fact that all great parties have karaoke. And it was evident that this gal has never met a stage she didn't love.

Happy Birthday!!

Photo Dump

2010-12-23T10:17:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures that never made it to the ol' blog this year.

This was the picture I was suppose to include with my post about our Thanksgiving dinner.

Brown Sugar with her friends up in the treehouse that was used in Sparkle's play.

Sparkle's treble choir performing at the Chrimstas concert. She is on the top row, second from left. I also took video from that night so I might post that if I get the time and gumption.

These are two metal sculptures of dogs.

They sat in front of this Pet Spa and Hotel we passed in Maryland on our way to Williamsburg last weekend.
Jim and the kids were so enthralled with it that we actually had to stop and they went in to see the place. They will send a limo to pick up your pet and then they will wine and dine Fido while he is there. The list of services was quite impressive.

This picture is for Aunt Cindy. I don't know what you call these but I saw them at the Yankee Candle store in Williamsburg. She has one that I think Uncle Deke brought her from Germany. Well, hold on to that baby because the one on the left cost $499 and the one on the left was $375.

I also saw these purses at the Yankee Candle Store. They have reversible covers. Very cute.

This is a picture of our house that I took this morning. We are hosting a Korean student for 3-4 weeks beginning January 12 and her family wanted to see a picture of our house. She is 12 years old and will be sitting in on 5th grade with Sparkle. She is just here to experience American culture and to see if she would like to come back to finish her education here. Currently, we have 16 Korean students at our school for the year. Her name is Ji Zian Pak, but we were told to pick out an American name for her. All the Korean students who are here use an American name.

So tell us...what should we name our student?

If Mary and Joseph Had Email

2010-12-15T15:44:00.002-05:00

Christmas Wonderland: By the Numbers

2010-12-12T23:06:00.001-05:00

Number of lines: 0

Number of costume changes: 2

Number of scenes she was in: 3

Number of performances: 10

Number of staff & crew: 400

Number of people in attendance: 16,000

Memories to last a lifetime: Priceless!

Here Comes Santa Claus

2010-12-08T22:58:00.000-05:00

I just finished writing our annual Christmas letter which is always a creative challenge. But this family just raised the genre of the Christmas letter to a whole other level. Enjoy!

Here Comes Santa Claus - A Christmas Video Greeting from Jared Foster on Vimeo.

You can see some behind the scenes photos on their family blog.

First Performances

2010-12-07T23:52:00.001-05:00

Sparkle is in the Christmas production at church this year...her first time in any dramatic production. The picture below is from the finale. She is in the white beret and lavender coat. In one scene she plays a member of the Mickey Mouse club. Fun! They have 5 more performances coming up this weekend.

If you haven't had a chance to see "A Little Boy's Prayer" there was another performance added to Sunday at 7pm. It is a great show and will definitely help you usher in the Christmas spirit. Go to the church web site to get your tickets (www.christian-life.com).

Brown Sugar joined American Heritage Girls this fall. This best way of describing AHG is that it is like Christian Girl Scouts. This week about 70 of the girls went to a local nursing home and did a talent show for the residents. All of the girls were encouraged to participate. So Brown Sugar hooked up with her friend for a piano duet. It should be noted that Brown Sugar has only had about 15 piano lessons. Total. But the girls did a really nice job pounding out the always popular holiday song "Chocolate".

As you can imagine, the residents were thrilled. And I couldn't have been prouder that those 15 lessons had already paid off! At this rate, we'll have to book Carnegie Hall for next Christmas.

Houston, We Have a Problem

2010-11-27T22:27:00.000-05:00

As soon as the auction was over on 11/13, mom started talking to me about plans for Thanksgiving. It was just us and her this year so I wanted it to be simple. Plus, I had just finished planning a big event and now planning even a small event was not something I wanted to do. And neither did she.

"Why don't you have Thanksgiving?"

"No, you have it."

"No, really, you have it this year."

So when we both realized that our hearts weren't in it, we turned to other options. Option #1 was to go out to a restaurant but there were two problems with that. We really didn't want to pay $100+ for us to go out and it was getting late to make reservations. But we did find one place in Carlisle, mom made reservations, and then we realized this was a restaurant in a Howard Johnson's. Is Howard Johnson's even open anymore? I like a HoJo as much as the next person, but not for Thanksgiving. So we cancel the reservation and go back to the drawing board.

That is when the heavens opened up and I saw an ad that would change our Thanksgivings forever. Giant Foods was offering a complete Thanksgiving meal for the low price of $60. It included turkey or ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, creamed corn, sweet potato casserole and a pie. Hot dog! I told mom I'd pick up the food on our way to her house and we'd sit down and eat right away. Plus, we couldn't do the meal for ourselves for $60. It was a win-win.

So I called Giant to order our dinner. Sold out. I call a second Giant. Sold out. Now I'm starting to sweat as visions of slaving over a hot stove start coming into view. But still determined, I call a third Giant. YES! They can take my order, but leave me with this warning.

"They want me to tell you that you're really lucky. You got the last meal!"

I tell him I know I'm lucky and that this is the third store I called trying to find a meal. Thanksgiving is saved!

I wish I could end the story there, but I can't. I then spent the next several days convinced that they screwed up my order and we'd get there on Thanksgiving day and they wouldn't have a meal for us. It wasn't out of the realm of possibilities.

So we head to Giant for our 11:30 pick up and march back to the deli area where I request my meal. The guy gives me a big grin and says he'll be right back. Phew! They have the meal.

That's odd, he's walking into a refrigerator. Wait, here he comes carrying a big box and as he walks toward me I see it says Thanksgiving meal so I take box from him and, oh me. Oh my. Oh no. The box is cold.

IT'S NOT COOKED. It's all prepared...but it's NOT cooked.

Don't ask me why but mom and I both expected the meal to be piping hot when we picked it up. We'd just put it on the table and start eating.

Freaking out inside, I nonchalantly take the box and pay as I realize I'm the last person to pick up their meal. Well, no wonder, everyone is at home COOKING THE MEAL.

So we are on to plan B. Luckily, we had ordered a ham and not a turkey so it would be less cooking time. But it was lunch time and the hungry tribe was going to have to wait at least 2 hours. So I take off around the store and grab crackers, cheese and shrimp.

In the car I call mom and tell her that we overlooked one small detail with our grand scheme. THE MEAL ISN'T COOKED. Fire up that oven.

Long story short, we ate around 3:00. The food was delicious although the kids lamented the absence of my heart attack laden mashed potatoes. By the time we ate we bagged the idea of putting all the food in our serving dishes...we just threw those plastic bad boys right on the table. Clean up was a snap.

Don't know if we'll do that again. However, for the money you really couldn't beat the deal. Next time, we'll just know to leave time to cook it.

Where Has the Time Gone?

2010-11-23T19:27:00.001-05:00

Another month, or two, has gone by and so I think it's time to update the ole blog. Fall is typically very busy time around here, so let me count the ways:

1. The kids dressed up for Halloween. Sparkle was a medieval princess, Brown Sugar was a maid, although I thought she looked more like Amelia Bedelia. Junior is not much of a costume guy, but he is a candy guy, so he went as a 5-year-old boy.

2. Next came our birthdays. Jim has his on November 1st and I follow on the 10th. No big celebrations this year.

3. Sparkle read Treasure Island in school and the concluded the book with a big party. This was the cake (yes, it is a cake) two moms made. The kids all dressed as pirates and how I wish I had a picture of all of them. You'd be shocked at how many different looks a pirate can have. There was sporty pirate, fashionista pirate, goth pirate, homespun pirate, darth vadar pirate, and saucy pirate.

4. The AUCTION. This has been the event that sucked every spare moment from me for the last 6 weeks. Our school does an auction each year to raise money for the Scholarship Fund and guess who is in charge of it? So 150 of us gathered in a country club ballroom and bid insane amounts of money on fabulous items.

5th Grade Art Project: Foil Relief Mirror

Mosaic Hall Tree
It is two scenes from Greek art.

The items that always bring in the most money are the student art work. Each class in grades 2-6 make these incredible pieces that never fail to go for top dollar. This year, Sparkle's class brought in the most money with their Foil Relief mirror. It went for $900! Brown Sugar's class was next with a Mosaic hall tree that went for over $700. Parents do crazy things where their kid's art is concerned.

5. I know you are all thinking, "You know, Natalie, if I lived closer or would've known about your auction, I would've come out and supported you. I would've been right in there spending hundreds of dollars so kids all over your region can continue to get scholarships. You could've counted on me."

Well, this is your lucky day! Because we also have an online auction going on right now over on eBay that is open to everyone everywhere. There are 24 items listed, with all procceds going to CCA's Scholarship Fund. There are items for Penn State Fans, Star War Fans, designer purse fans, coffee fans, and much, much more. You can find all the items here!

6. Sparkle decided to be in our church's Christmas drama this year. Their first performance is a week from Friday and I think they do 4 performances. Over 12,000 tickets have already been sold!!! She is pretty much an extra throughout but there is one scene where she is part of the Mickey Mouse Club...the original club. The show is set in the 1950s. What's funny is that the kids sing the M-I-C song and none of them knew it!

A billboard along I-83.

The Stage.

Some of the set being built in a "dry dock".

This year's set.

7. Jim had had an interesting couple of weeks. First he played on a flag football team. I think he played a total of two games before he pulled something in his back two Saturdays ago. That same week he got a really bad cough, like a cough that hurts to hear. Then on that Sunday he was suppose to run on a marathon relay.

So the morning of the marathon he was not able to stand straight up, he had this horrible cough and he had to go run. And run he did. Adrenaline is a beautiful thing and he ran his leg fast and furious. So fast that the next person in the relay wasn't at the transition area. Don't you just hate people that can run 8:30 miles when they're a mess?!

Jim's relay team. The girl next to him ran the last leg. She is 16.

So he went to the doctor and got a diagnosis of bronchitis. After the first run of an antibiotic, he still was a mess. So he had a chest x-ray today and it's official...he has pneumonia. Or as Sparkle says, "ammonia".

Happy Thanksgiving Ya' All!

Homecoming

2010-10-24T20:26:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we headed over to Messiah College for homecoming. It was a gorgeous fall day, and as I've said a million times before, Messiah's campus is the most beautiful place to be in the fall.

Junior loved all the games and bounce house in the Lil' Falcon Zone.

The Lil' Falcon Zone was held outside the student union.

This picture above is where the Schoolhouse used to sit. I'm not even kidding. They tore down the Schoolhouse and made a parking lot. Scandalous, really.

You can't visit Messiah without the obligatory picture in front of the bridge.

And Junior always loves to visit the Swinging Bridge.

Of course, wathcing the Nationally ranked Men's Soccer Team is always

one of the highlights of homecoming.

And for those of you who are wondering, we only saw ONE person we knew the entire day.

Shout out to Beth Tyson and her daughter...our lone connection.

Dance Dance Dance

2010-10-24T10:42:00.002-04:00

He just can't help himself.

Hip Hop Jesus Rocks

2010-10-22T22:39:00.000-04:00

Brown Sugar learned a cheer this summer at our church's Mega Sports Camp that was quite catchy. The first video shows Sparkle performing the cheer in her unique style. Then the second video is Junior's take on this crowd pleaser...you'll notice he has the right cadence and inflections but the words are well, you'll just have to watch for yourself.

Hip Hop, Jesus Rocks

Let me see that left foot drop.

Boom. Shake it out, shake it out.

Dear Grandma & Grandpa:

2010-10-22T22:27:00.000-04:00

We missed you at Grandparent's Day this year. Mommy taped us doing our presentations so you could see them. We hope you like them.

Random People in Random Places Doing Random Things

2010-10-14T08:47:00.001-04:00

The Toilet

2010-10-13T19:40:00.002-04:00

This roundish blue and yellow bowl is called Coyote Canyon at Great Wolf Lodge. Junior prefers to call it The Toilet. And here he explains why...

JR: Mommy, let's go on the Toilet again!!!!!

ME: The what???!!

JR: (saying as he's pointing to the above bowl) The Toilet.

ME: Why are you calling it The Toilet?

JR: Because it's just like when we go poopy and the poopy drops from our bottom into the Toilet and then we flush it.

And I have to say...his explanation is an accurate description of the human digestive system and of Coyote Canyon.

Carpe Diem

2010-10-13T07:45:00.002-04:00

Great Wolf Lodge

2010-10-12T21:33:00.001-04:00

We gave the kids a chore challenge this summer and told them if they accrued so many points then we'd go to Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos. Well, they met the challenge so we went this past weekend to GWL. We had never been there before, only heard the raves of others.

So we drove up to the beautiful Poconos and ooohed and ahhed at the leaves before we pulled up to the GWL and ooohed and ahhhed at the mecca sitting before us.

It was big and looked like it should be in the Swiss Alps instead of the hills of Pennsy.

And because my husband is the king of upgrades, we scored a Kids Kabin where, yes, right in the room was a kabin for the kids to stay in, complete with a bunk bed and a third single.

The kids thought they had died and gone to

camp for the weekend.

Back in front of the quaint lodge.

Of course, the centerpiece of GWL is the waterpark.

Here is everyone in the wave pool at 9:01...one minute after they opened.

Obviously, we were eager beavers.

There were slides, and tubes, and lazy rivers and wave pools and hot tubs and more.
Lots, lots more.

That blue and yellow thing was called Coyote Canyon. Junior called it "The Toilet".
Story to follow.

The kids played and played and played. Then they refueled and played some more.

Just before departure.

Tired, but clearly satisfied customers.

Fall Fun with Friends

2010-10-12T20:44:00.000-04:00

Sorry, but I only think in bullet points.

2010-10-10T23:09:00.000-04:00

Time sure does fly when you haven't blogged in about a month. Friends were sending out search teams on Facebook to make sure we were still alive so I thought I better make an appearance and let you know what our family has been up to lately.

Sparkle is in our church Christmas show this year. It is a 1950s based show called "A Little Boy's Prayer." She's considered an extra but it sounds like she gets to be in some pretty neat scenes. You can get tickets here.
She's hoping she gets to wear a poodle skirt.
A little girl told Junior that he was her boyfriend and he bit her finger.
Speaking of Junior, he is doing really, really well in preschool. They say he is a leader and smart. Apparently they haven't discovered he is a finger biter too.
Brown Sugar now has a top and bottom expander. She can barely eat or speak, but her teeth are going to look great.
Junior said "D@mn it" today. Nice.
I've had two events at school in the last 4 weeks and I'm tired. Now there are only 4 more weeks until the auction. Did I just say 4 weeks?!!
Jim is training to run a 1/2 marathon relay in November. His other 3 teammates are women. They want him to wear a skirt as part of the team uniform. Not even kidding.
We leave in the morning for Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos. It is the kids' reward for mastering Jim's chore chart challenge this summer.
Jim ran out of gas today in the slob.
I find that sweet justice for all the times I've had to stop and get gas because his car is always on empty.
Jim gave me an early birthday present...a new Android.
I can now successfully make and receive a phone call. On a good day I can also get my voice messages.
Jim tells me there is no manual to read because the phone is intuitive.
I'm not sure what that says about me.
The girls are playing intramural soccer at school.
Last year, when the coach asked Brown Sugar what her favorite position was, she replied "sitting on the side".
This year when the coach asked the same question, she said "goalie".
I think that is called progress.
Jim built a ski rack for the garage that holds all our skis and poles. It's actually very nice and will keep all our wet and sloppy skis from dirtying up my house every week.
I went to a kid's birthday party today where we all sat around and watched the birthday boy and his brother beat each other up. Fun times.
Junior informed me that his birthday party will be at Chuck E. Cheese.
I informed him that he won't be having a birthday this year.
He bit my finger.

A List. Day 4

2010-09-12T22:38:00.000-04:00

It looks like the bus saga has come to an end.
The school district added a third route.
It's amazing they haven't discovered a cure for cancer. Their geniuses!
So they are sending a van to pick up all the kids in our neighborhood plus two international students that live just down the hill.
They get on at 7:15 and to school by 7:45.
Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?

A List. Day 3

2010-09-09T23:21:00.001-04:00

Flurry of emails today with all the bus parents.
Two parents visited the mean bus lady and her clueless boss in person.
The rest of us called in to lodge complaints.
Looks like a resolution is on the horizon.
Bus people don't like to get calls from angry moms.
They hate having face to face conversations even more.
It makes them nervous.
And twitch.
Kids were 11 minutes late to school, got home 15 minutes earlier.
Making progress.
However, 3 kids are still riding the bus for nearly 2 hours each way.
Not my kids.
But other kids.
The kids whose mothers stood nose to nose with the mean bus lady.
They are my new heroes.
Don't mess with moms.
Especially moms whose kids are riding the yellow school bus for 4 hours a day.
Word late this afternoon is that they will be adding a third bus/van route for our kids on Monday,
It's amazing the bus people haven't discovered a cure for cancer yet. They are geniuses.
I think a Parents Against Mean Bus Ladies Union was born today.
Six years ago there were only three families in our school district heading to this school.
Today there are over 20.
Three moms complaining are just three, overprotective and crazy moms.
Twenty moms complaining...well, that's the mean bus lady's worst nightmare.

A List. Day 2

2010-09-08T22:16:00.000-04:00

I know you are all sitting on pins and needles to see what mischief the bus people caused today because, admit it, secretly you know my bus sagas are better than any episode of Law and Order. So let me give you the 411 on day one of the 2010 bus saga.

Big, yellow school bus arrives here at 7:20.
Kids get on big, yellow school bus while I chat with friendly driver.
Children arrive at school at 8:20.
Oops. There's the snag.
You see school starts at 8:00AM.
Mom #1 lets me know that her kid was picked up at 6:15. He was on the bus for 2 hours.
Mom #2's kid was picked up at 6:30.
And on it goes all day.
So we decide to be grown ups, take a chill pill and see what the evening brings.

Ah, yes, the return trip home.

My kids arrive home at 4pm. Not bad. I can live with that.
Mom #1's kid gets home at 5:30. Mom #2's kid gets home at 5:15.
Did I mention that they got out of school at 3pm?

So moms #1 and #2 are none too delighted that their kids spent over 4 hours on the big, yellow school bus. I, on the other hand, can't complain too much. Well, I mean other than the fact that they were 20 minutes late to school.

So far, these are the ideas being thrown around on how to deal with the evil, bus people. Please feel free to vote for your favorite approach in the comments or even throw your own ideas into the mix.

Picket the bus barn every morning until our demands our met. Our signs would say Carpe Busim (Seize the Bus).
Write a nasty letter that uses every big, fat, classical word we can think of to describe their wrongdoings.
Challenge them to a dual in the bus parking lot at sunset on Friday. (We picked sunset rather than sunrise because none of us are early risers).
Sue them in federal court. Hire Johnny Cochran to prosecute. Wait, is Johnny Cochran still alive? How about that Marsha lady with the bad hair who prosecuted OJ?
Withold their Christmas bonuses (i.e. our school taxes).
Hire Ashton Kutcher to punk them. He could make them think that all their buses are taking the most direct and logical routes possible one morning.
Buy our own bus, efficiently run it and one day put the WSSD bus barn out of business for good. Don't offer severance package to mean, bus lady.

So many choices. So many opportunities to use them. But I don't want to be rash, so I will sleep on it and see how day two goes before I tell them what I think about their hot mess of a bus company.

A List. About School.

2010-09-07T20:37:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is the first day of a new school year. I'm so excited. And I just can't hide it. I'm about to lose control and I think I like it. Oooh, oooh oooh.

Yes, tomorrow is the first day of school and I'm gearing up to cry buckets as I see my little cherubs get on the little yellow school bus and leave me for 8 GLORIOUS hours. I'll miss their fighting and their sassy replys when I ask them to do a chore. I'll miss them hitting their brother. And, most of all, I'll miss thinking of 1,092 ideas to kill their boredom and them saying no to all of them. Yes, it is going to be an emotional day.

Junior will be attending pre-kindergarten at the girls' school this year.
He had orientation today. And we all lived to talk about it.
Actually, he did really well and was quite smitten with the fact that he already knew a lot about the school.
If you see him, please refer to it as Pre-K, not pre-school.
Pre-school is for babies.
Pre-K is for big boys. Junior is a big boy.
Despite the fact that he may bite you if you call him a pre-schooler, I'm predicting a good year for him.
Seriously. About the good year.
Not the biting. Although...
Now I feel compelled to knock on wood. I think I may have just jinxed his good year.
Should I throw some salt over my shoulder too?
Last week I took Sparkle shopping to buy some new school shoes.
Her foot measured a women's size 7.
Size 7!!!!!
Do you know how much a women's size 7 narrow shoe costs?
Do you know how hard it is to find shoes that are narrow?
Her shoes are now more expensive than my shoes.
The days of buying a P@yless $9.99 special are over.
Let's have a moment of silence.
Speaking of a moment of silence, we cleaned out our basement and got rid of several things. One item was our bike trailer that we used to cart the kids around on bike rides.
We LOVED that trailer.
I remember putting Sparkle in it when she was 9 months old and she would take her nap in it while we tooled around Hilton Head for several hours at a time. Heaven.
Speaking of heaven...I visited hell today. Chuck E. Cheese to the rest of you.
Promised Junior that if he didn't scream bloody murder and run out of the room during pre-K orientation today, we would go.
He didn't, so we went.
Can cross that off my list for at least another year.
Speaking of another year...
There is a big bus saga brewing but I'll save the details until I see how it plays out tomorrow.
I have kinda missed the bus sagas over the last two years kinda like I miss a good root canal.
There is nothing like a good bus saga to make you feel good about how your tax money is being spent.
When I grow up I want to be a school bus scheduler. I would rock that job.
Brown Sugar told me that when she grows up she wants to be a rock collector.
Truth is...she already is a rock collector. And a clothing tag collector. And an eraser collector.
Let's not forget about a stubby pencil collector. Or, paper collector.
And not just any paper collector, but a collector of itsy bitsy scraps of paper.
Speaking of paper....okay, this has nothing to do with paper but we went on a 10-mile bike ride Sunday and the kids didn't whine or complain one time. Not. one. time.
We've learned that it pays to bring their friends on bike rides with us. Friends = No complaining.
We didn't bring friends on the prior bike ride and they started complaining before we even got to the bike path.
Did I mention I have no idea what time the bus is coming in the morning?
I'm hoping if I have them at the curb by 6am we won't miss the bus.
It's no fun to miss the bus on your first day of school.
I remember one time Jeff and I missed the bus and mom drove us to school.
On the way home, she got pulled over by a cop.
She had no purse. No driver's license. No clothes... well, that's an exaggeration. She was wearing her PJs. With a robe, mind you.
She offered to go home and get the license. And to change clothes. The cop decided to let her go with just a warning.
That's a lesson to all of you who run out in the mornings for "just a minute".
You could be face to face with a cop while you're wearing your Hello Kitty PJs.
Of course, he would probably just let you off with a warning.
But then your children will tell the story for the next 4+ decades and the cop will probably do so too.
So you may as well just get dressed.
Speaking of getting dressed, I bought myself a nice, new gray dress to wear for my first day of school.
It's my first new dress in like forever.
Dresses are hard to find these days.
If you are a department store buyer, please know that lots of women still like to wear dresses but we can't because we can't find any to buy.
Don't believe me? Go buy a dress.
Go ahead. I'll wait.

Biking It

2010-09-05T22:10:00.000-04:00

It has been so hot this summer that we haven't done our favorite summer activity until just recently...biking. About two weeks ago we set off for a new rail trail that was about 30 minutes from us.

On rail trails you often share the path with horses. We were lucky enough to see two who were out for a morning walk.

Fancy!

This weekend we headed south to what has become our new favorite rail trail...The Heritage Trail. It starts in York, PA and heads down to the Maryland line. We took mom and some friends on this ride. What's great about this trail is all the interesting sights like these giant bikes.

We also like that there is an ice cream shop halfway on the trail! And a tunnel you ride through!

Rollerskating

2010-08-24T08:31:00.000-04:00

We went to a rollerskating birthday party last night. I'm guessing it has been at least 20 years since I was last on a pair of skates. Brown Sugar and Junior had never been on skates, and Sparkle has done it a little.

We all had a great time and I think everyone fell just one time. By the end of the night Brown Sugar was definitely in a roller skating groove.

I'm not sure the same could be said for Junior. He looked like a newborn calf standing for the first time on a sheet of ice. Take a minute to picture that...are you laughing yet?

I don't have a picture of Sparkle but she actually won the limbo contest!

Weekend at the Beach

2010-08-22T23:28:00.001-04:00

Sparkle headed to Rehobath Beach for the weekend with her good friend AK and her family. They were joining family at a cottage on the bay side of Rehoboth. With their own dock at the cottage, the girls got right to a popular beach pasttime...crabbing.

Here's Sparkle holding a crab! Apparently, she was reluctant to take hold of Mr. Crab at first but found the courage. In fact, it looks like she made friends with Mr. Crab because it looks like he's wearing one of her bracelets. Odd.

What they look like before they make it to your dinner plate at your favorite seafood restaurant. Fresh from the bay.

On the ponton boat!

Believe it or not, an ice cream boat (truck) was out on the bay selling ice cream treats to boaters. I asked if the ice cream boat played that annoying music and they said it didn't, but how cool of an idea is to have an ice cream boat!

Dock

Reel them in!

Special thanks to the KobWeb for all the pictures.

Guest Blogger HERE

2010-08-21T11:31:00.000-04:00

I was just checking out our listing on VRBO and noticed that I can add a link from our blog site. I've just added it to the left but wanted to provide the link in this post, as well!

We are really bummed that we can't head south (again, since we already went to Florida in Apr) to Williamsburg but we have been successful in sending seven other families. One group is from Michigan and they will be golfing for a week! Sounds like a great way to go.

I guess that is all I have to bore you with. Just wanted to share my fun for the morning.

Signing Out, Jim

40

2010-08-17T04:36:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago we headed down to Baltimore for the surprise 40th birthday party for a good college friend. It was 100 degrees that day and I told him that I'm not sure I would've come to an outside birthday party for any other friend. Apparently you can melt in 100 degree heat.

Here is one of Darrell's little boys. Can't remember the name or even if it is his youngest or oldest. My brain was melting that day. It was 100 degrees. Did I mention that fact?

The kids spent over an hour making water balloons. Their ultimate target was the birthday boy. In one flurry they unleashed their water balloons with great glee.

Darrell didn't seem to mind since it was hot. In fact, he tried soaking his attackers.

Truth be told, all the adults wanted to be the target of the water balloons. You know, because of all the hotness. And heat. And 100-degree temps.

On the left is Darrell's mom, Cheryl and Jim

The tall kid in the middle is the Eshleman's oldest. Yikes! He is the proof that we are all getting old.

Bottom row: Darrell's mom, Cheryl. Top Row: Lisa's mom, Bryan's oldest (Bryan is Darrell's brother) and Daryl. Not to be confused with Darrell.

Yolijwa

2010-08-16T04:30:00.001-04:00

Sparkle has had a full schedule of summer camp over the last two months. In June she went to Camp Lou San for a week and then the end of July she went back to Camp Yolijwa for another week of wild and wacky fun. This picture was taken with her friend when we dropped them off. If you remember from last year, this camp has a lot of great history.

And a wonderful porch made for rocking.

Water Golf

2010-08-15T04:24:00.000-04:00

We have been using a point system this summer for chores the kids do. Every week a different kid gets to go on a Mommy or Daddy date and redeem their points for an activity of their choosing. A few weeks ago Brown Sugar choose to go miniature golfing on City Island.

So we headed out for a nice evening of Water Golf.

And then enjoyed the sunset from the shore of the Susquehanna.

Happy 17th Anniversary

2010-08-14T18:55:00.002-04:00

to us!

Rolling on the River

2010-08-14T16:23:00.000-04:00

We took the kids kayaking today with a guy from church. He is a kayak enthusiast and takes out groups of people throughout the summer and shares his passion. We've gone with him many times but have never taken the kids.

We decided that Jim and I would ride in a canoe with Junior and the girls could each take a kayak. Well, you would've thought we were making them eat bugs and pee behind a tree. They moaned and groaned and cried (literally) and said at least a hundred times "I can't do it. It's too hard." The more they whined the more we were determined to throw them to the fishes.

Sparkle did well from the beginning but she had a hard time relaxing. I think by the third set of rapids she finally found her groove.

Junior was a first-class canoe passenger.

And that brings us to Brown Sugar. She may never recover from the trauma of kayaking. The tears started before she ever hit the water and she continued to hold tightly to the side of the canoe even after we got started. By the time she got down the first set of rapids she was a first-class basket case. So we pulled over and put her in the canoe and I took her kayak. No sense in wasting a good kayak.

Here's another young lady that went on the trip. She caught a baby snapping turtle.

By the time we pulled out, Sparkle wanted to know when we could go again. Junior was hungry. And Brown Sugar still wasn't talking to us. Her 200 yards of kayaking have scarred her for life.

But I guess that's life when you're rolling on the river.

Good Help is Hard to Find

2010-08-13T18:57:00.001-04:00

My grandmother had a birthday a few weeks ago and my aunt was kind enough to take her a cake. Unfortunately, somewhere in the world a village has lost its cake-making idiot. Her is the play-by-play from my aunt.

When I called and ordered her cake last week, the lady asked me what I wanted on it. I said, "Happy Birthday Joan" and then added, she's an 88 year old woman. When Deke picked up the cake, written on the top was "Happy Birthday Joan (88 year old woman)."

I have laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed about this cake. It is especially funny because if my grandmother was in her right mind she would've taken the cake and chucked it through the nearest window. She never liked to be reminded of her age.

Looking at this cake reminded me of a web site I had seen before called Cake Wrecks:When Professional Cakes Go Horribly Wrong. My aunt sent this picture to the site and we hope one day to see it among the bad and ugly.

In the meantime, there are a ton of cakes with bad design, bad grammar, bad spelling and just plain bad to keep you laughing for a lifetime.

That's One Big Bowl of Popcorn

2010-08-10T23:05:00.000-04:00

And it was all mine!

A Horse is a Horse. Of course.

2010-07-21T21:25:00.037-04:00

At our school auction last fall, three opportunities to go horseback riding with the grammar school principal were auctioned off. Sparkle's very generous and loving parents bought her one of the spots.

Sparkle was matched up with a Paint Horse named Winnie.

Hopefully Winnie proved to be a worthy horse. I say hopefully because Sparkle isn't home yet. I'll let you know what the verdict was later. (She's home and she said Winnie was perfect for her).

Riding off into the sunset.

Here's an interesting tidbit about Mrs. Stucky, the principal. Her father was grooming her to be a jockey when she was a little girl. So she loves horses and was the perfect person to go with on this adventure.

For Shari

2010-07-19T20:01:00.002-04:00

Poncho on the hip.

It's what is in style.

Night at the Ball Park

2010-07-19T08:02:00.000-04:00

On the last night we were in Boston, we walked over to Fenway Park for a game. The Texas Rangers were in town for a 4-game series.

We had heard the game was sold out but we were able to score a pair of tickets in right field, under the upper deck.

Being under the upper deck was hot at first, but turned out to be a blessing because...

It started raining and pouring. So much rain that it caused about a 45-minute rain delay. Then we very happy we were under the deck.

Watching the grounds crew put out the tarp for the rain delay was a show within itself.

Talk about an orchestrated dance.

Rolling it up was even more amazing!

We last until the top of the 8th inning and then we couldn't take it anymore.

Baseball is the s.l.o.w.e.s.t. game known to man.

But it was a fun experience, even if the Sox lost 8-4.

Boston Farewell

2010-07-18T19:59:00.000-04:00

We're home.
The flight was uneventful but there are two things to note.
1. A nun on our flight had a huge cake knife confiscated out of her carry on.
2. It was the hardest landing I've ever experienced.
I flew Southwest for the first time and it was a really great experience.
And I say that despite the hard landing. A landing so hard it felt like we landed minus the landing gear.
A landing so hard that I was afraid my art collection that was sitting in the overhead bin had been battered.
A landing so hard that I was expecting to see fire trucks lining the runway.
I weighed myself today, excited to see how much weight I had lost after walking 456 miles this week.
I gained 2 pounds.
I'm feeling slightly betrayed by Boston right now and its Italian pastries.
and tiramisu cheesecake.
ballpark hotdogs.
mud pie.
gelati.
Thanks to everyone who kept the kids this week...
Grandma and Grandpa
Nana
The Jacks

Boston Bullet Points

2010-07-16T16:11:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting on the 28th floor of the Copley Marriott, looking out over the Charles River. It is filled with sailboats.
In case you haven't heard, I'm never leaving Boston.
Give me another week and then you can send the children here.
Although I will be back to PA after Christmas because I hate brutal winters.
Boston is my summer home.
I shopped until I dropped two days in a row. I'm tired.
And broke.
Boston has inspired me to start collecting art.
I bought my first two pieces from an Asian street vendor last night.
It was getting dark and I had to squint and turn to the moon to see the pieces clearly.
I told the artist that I hoped he became famous soon; mama's got to send her kids to college.
Tonight we are going to Fenway park to try and scalp some tickets for a game.
We don't even like baseball.
But when in Rome...
We've scalped tickets two other times in our 19 years together: At a Philadelphia Professional Lacrosse game in '91 and in '92 at a Genesis Concert.
I am one smoot tall.
You have to be an MIT grad to know what a smoot is.
They have the best consignment shops on Newbury Street.
But they are very upscale consignment shops. Like the original tag says $450 and the consignment shop price is $175. DEAL!
However, there are very few deals for women who have had three babies.
Apparently all the women who wear upscale clothes only wear smalls.
Seriously.
There was rack after rack of size small clothes and one quarter rack of large clothes.
That does it! I'm not eating the Boston cream pie tonight.
I'm also hoping the 457 miles I walked this week will offset the numerous Italian pastries I ate.
Speaking of pastries, a co-worker of Jim's told him to go to Little Italy and get pastries at Rick's.
I asked him who Rick was.
He said Rick's was a bakery that Rich recommended.
Well, then who is Rich.
"Ray, not Rich, is my co-worker."
"So let me get this straight. Rich told you to go to Ray's and eat pastries?"
He then slapped me on the butt and told me to be quiet.
So we head to Little Italy and see these two young valets, "Ask them where Rick's is," I said.
So Jim asks them where Rick's is that his co-worker Ray recomended. And do you know what they say??
"You mean Mike's?"
The place was called Mike's
So I slapped Jim on the butt and called him a ninny.
Boston is known as a walking city.
At the beginning of the week, I would've argued that aren't all cities walking cities?
But now I see what them mean.
There are beautiful gardens everywhere.
Every. Where.
Did you know only 5 people were killed during the Boston Massacre?
There is a building here with stairways and hallways leading nowhere b/c they ran out of money when building it.
It houses the Department of Mental Health.
The Boston Millennium Hotel has the most wicked lobby.
I get the feeling that Bostonians don't like Yankees fans.
It's just a feeling I get.
If money were no object, I'd buy my entire wardrobe from Black House White Market.
Instead, I bought my kids $5 tee shirts from a street vendor.
We had a waitress at Legal Seafood that practically pulled up a chair and sat down when she learned we were from PA.
She wanted us to tell her what it was like to drive a horse and buggy and have no electricity.
I told Jim he should've shaved before we left for dinner.
Speaking of Jim, he brought FOUR pairs of shoes for a 4-day trip.
I brought two pairs.
FOUR PAIRS OF SHOES.
I told him that if he was a girl, his picture would be in the dictionary under high maintenance.
He also has this habit of asking every waiter/waitress what their favorite item on the menu is, what the best selling item on the menu is and asking what exactly is in a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich...and then ordering a bowl of soup.
I swear he has ordered nothing but a bowl of soup almost every meal.
When I ask, "Why are you ordering soup at every meal?"
He simply answers, "I like soup."
And now that I have the attention of table four, remember keys on the hip?
Well, this week it was rain poncho on the hip. I can't tell you how much it pained me not to be able to take a picture of him wearing his little rain poncho on his hip.
You would've all peed your pants.
I did.
Lest you think I'm without blemish, it took me 4.5 minutes to buy artwork in the dark from a street vendor for my exclusive art collection and it has taken 3 days and 16 stores to buy a magnet for Alyssa. A magnet I've yet to buy.
Because there are so many choices and I must. buy. the. perfect. magnet for a girl who has no place to stick a magnet.
So really, Jim and I are made for each other.
But you already knew that...didn't you?!

Gotta go! Look for us tonight as the Boston Red Sox take on the Texas SomethingorOthers.

The Answers and a Winner

2010-07-15T23:52:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Deb Klawitter who was the winner of the Boston quiz. She got 13 correct answers...and there were several tricky ones in there. Great job, Deb! I'll get you your prize on Sunday.

Now for the answers...

1. How many children did Paul Revere have? 16

2. What famous Boston hotel named a roll, popular dessert and was the site of JFK and Jacquelyn Bouvier's engagement? Omni Parker Hotel

3. What is the name of the 2.5 mile trail that leads to 16 historic sites? Freedom Trail

4. What is the name of Boston’s subway system? The "T"

5. How many people were called at the Boston Massacre when British soldiers fired into a crowd of Bostonians? 5

6. Huzzah means…WOW

7. What phrase was coined when cannonballs bounced off the side of the USS Constitution? Old Ironside

8. Which popular musician studied at Boston’s Berklee School of Music? All of the Above: Natalie Maines, John Mayer, and Branford Marsalis

9. What famous incident involving molasses occurred in 1919? A giant flood of molasses killed 21 people.

10. What is the name of the oldest public park in the United States? Boston Common

11. What famous fugitive slave was among the victims who died at the Boston Massacre? Crispus Attucks

12. The Boston Celtics play at the famous Boston Garden. What is the name of the Celtic legend who grew up in Indiana? Larry Bird

13. Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox, seats: 35,000

14. How many pairs of shoes does one person need for a 4-day trip? If you are Jim, you need 4 pairs of shoes. If you are Natalie, you need 2 pairs.

15. What is the name of the famous bar that was featured in a long-running television show by the same name? Cheers

16. What broadway show was financed from the sale of Babe Ruth to the New York

Yankees? No, No, Nanette

17. Why is Boston called beantown? Because molasses was plentiful from Boston´s trade routes.

18. Who led the Boston Tea Party? Samuel Adams

19. The "Old Granary" graveyard is home to which famous American? All of the above: Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, Mary Goose (aka Mother Goose).

20. What is the oldest restaurant in Boston? Union Oyster House

You Might Learn Something Quiz #1: BOSTON

2010-07-15T10:00:00.077-04:00

How much do you know about Boston, MA history and trivia? Take our 20-question quiz and leave your answers as a comment. The first person to get the most answers correct will win a fabulous prize!! Quiz will close at 9:00 PM on Thursday.

How many children did Paul Revere have?

What famous Boston hotel named a roll, popular dessert and was the site of JFK and Jacquelyn Bouvier's engagement?

a. The Collonade

b. Boston Harbor Hotel

c. Omni Parker Hotel

d. The Foster Hotel

What is the name of the 2.5 mile trail that leads to 16 historic sites?

What is the name of Boston’s subway system?

How many people were called at the Boston Massacre when British soldiers fired into a crowd of Bostonians?

a. 5

b. 50

c. 500

d. 5000

Huzzah means…

a. What’s Up

b. Wow

c. Shazaam

d. Hello

The USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. During

its skirmish with a British frigate, what well-known phrase was coined to describe

how the cannons bounced off the side of the ship?

Which popular musician studied at Boston’s Berklee School of Music?

a. Natalie Maines

b. b. John Mayer
c. c. Branford Marsalis
d. d. All of the above

What famous incident involving molasses occurred in 1919?
a.    The famous Boston Baked Beans were invented.
b.      A giant flood of molasses killed 21 people.
c.    A taxation issue caused citizens to dump molasses into the harbor.
d.    Health issues called for all molasses in the Boston area to be discarded.

What is the name of the oldest public park in the United States?

a. Fairmount Park

b. Pinchot Park

c. Boston Common

d. King’s Grounds

What famous fugitive slave was among the victims who died at the Boston Massacre?

a. Harriet Tubman

b. Crispus Attucks

c. Jesse Jackson

d. All of the above

The Boston Celtics play at the famous Boston Garden. What is the name of the Celtic

legend who grew up in Indiana?

Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox, seats:

a. 35,000

b. 55,000

c. 75,000

d. 125,000

How many pairs of shoes does one person need for a 4-day trip?

a. 2

b. 4

c. 6

d. 1

What is the name of the famous bar that was featured in a long-running television show by the same name?

What broadway show was financed from the sale of Babe Ruth to the New York

Yankees?

a. Cats

b. No, No, Nanette

c. My Lady Friends

d. Damn Yankees

Why is Boston called beantown?

a.     Because pilgrims grew beans as their first crop
b.     Because molasses was plentiful from Boston´s trade routes.
c.     Because green beans are a primary crop of the Boston area.
d.     Because of all the universities in Boston (bean is slang for brain).

Who led the Boston Tea Party?

a.     Samuel Adams
b.     Edith Wharton
c.     Nathan Hale

The "Old Granary" graveyard is home to which famous American?

a. Samuel Adams

b. Paul Revere

c. Mary Goose (AKA Mother Goose)

d. All of the above

What is the oldest restaurant in Boston?
a.    Durgin-Park
b.    Abe & Joe's
c.    Union Oyster House
d.    The Oak

Congratulations! You finished the quiz. Answers and winners will be posted Friday morning.

Beware, You Might Learn Something Quiz 1: Boston

2010-07-14T15:46:00.000-04:00

We are in Boston this week (sans children) and just spent an entire day learning some really interesting history and trivia about Beantown. So meet me back here at 10AM tomorrow for a 20-question quiz and test your own knowledge of Boston. There will be a fabulous prize for the first person who gets the most correct answers.

I'm On My Knees Begging

2010-07-11T21:03:00.001-04:00

If you are a Facebook user, I am asking for your help.

Kohl's Cares, the philanthropic branch of Kohl's, is celebrating its 10th anniversary by giving away $500,000 to 20 schools each. The schools that win are the ones who have the most votes. Each person gets 20 votes but you can only use 5 votes per school, so you can vote for up to 4 schools. It's as simple as that.

PLEASE take two minutes to click on the sidebar widget and vote for our school. You are encouraged to "dream" what the school could use the money for you if you win. All of the ideas mentioned on our site are much needed.

Facebook is the only way to cast a vote. I'd be happy to vote for your school if you vote for mine!! Just let me know in the comments; I've got three more schools I can vote for.

What would you do for free food?

2010-07-10T21:01:00.001-04:00

Apparently, we will dress like cows.

We helped Chick-fil-A celebrate Cow Appreciation Day by dressing in full cow regalia. For our troubles, Chick-fil-A gave us all free meals...about $30 worth of food. Junior wanted no part of our cow fun and refused to take part, but we slapped a cow dot on his back when he wasn't looking.

And lest you think we were the only wackos, our local Chick-fil-A was jam packed with cows all looking for some free cud. You can watch the news story at the end that shows the lengths people will go to for free chicken.

Happy Belated Father's Day!

2010-06-24T07:57:00.002-04:00

You're Not Crazy

2010-06-23T22:15:00.000-04:00

Yes, our blog has had a facelift! After a year with the same layout and header picture, we decided it was time for a change. So please bear with us as we continue to tweak and move things around.

Father's Day Camping Trip

2010-06-21T09:40:00.001-04:00

For the second year, our Sunday School table set out on a weekend camping trip. With our 19 kids, we invaded Spring Gulch campground in the heart of Amish country this Father's Day weekend. We had beautiful weather, although a bit hot at times.

We took advantage of the grounds' two beautiful swimming pools a lot. This is Sparkle flying through the air.

Brown Sugar was right behind her.

Junior didn't do any flying but he still enjoyed the cool water.

S'mores, playing in the creek, riding bikes, volleyball, hiking, and all-around foolery were part of this fun weekend with lots of great people.

A Little Potty Humor to Start the Week

2010-06-20T22:37:00.000-04:00

An English lady, while visiting Switzerland, was looking for a room for a more extended stay, and she asked the schoolmaster if he could recommend any to her. He took her to see several rooms, and when everything was settled, the lady returned to her home to make the final preparations to move.

When she arrived home, the thought suddenly occurred to her that she had not seen a "W.C." around the place. So she immediately wrote a note to the schoolmaster asking him if there were a "W.C." near the room.

The schoolmaster was a very poor student of English, so he asked the parish priest if he could help in the matter. Together they tried to discover the meaning of the letters "W.C.," and the only solution they could come up with for the letters was for a Wayside Chapel. The schoolmaster then wrote the following note to the English lady:

Dear Madam:

I take great pleasure in informing you that the W.C. is situated nine miles from the room that you will occupy, in the center of a beautiful grove of pine trees surrounded by lovely grounds. It is capable of holding about 229 people and it is only open on Sunday and Thursday.

As there are a great number of people who are expected during the summer months, I would suggest that you come early; although, as a rule, there is plenty of standing room. You will no doubt be glad to hear that a good number of people bring their lunch and make a day of it. While others who can afford to go by car arrive just in time.

I would especially recommend that your ladyship go on Thursday when there is a musical accompaniment. It may interest you to know that my daughter was married in the W.C. and it was there that she met her husband.

I can remember the rush there was for seats. There were ten people to a seat ordinarily occupied by one. It was wonderful to see the expression on their faces. The newest attraction is a bell donated by a wealthy resident of the district. It rings every time a person enters.

A bazaar is to be held to provide plush seats for all the people, since they feel it is a long felt need. My wife is rather delicate, so she can't attend regularly. I shall be delighted to reserve the best seat for you, if you wish, where you will be seen by everyone.

For the children, there is a special time and place so they will not disturb the elders.

Hoping to have been of service to you, I remain,

Sincerely,

The Schoolmaster.

----

And for those who didn't get it, the W.C. that the English lady was asking about, stands for Water Closet, or bathroom.

Junkiest Town is Best Place to Raise a Family

2010-06-11T07:46:00.001-04:00

We're feeling a little schizophrenic here in the Pennsylvania mid state this week.

Last week, Harrisburg was crowned the "Junkiest Town in America" According to the article Harrisburg is, "struggling under the weight of the recession. Residents are unemployed, and without a job, they can't pay their property taxes, which are the foundation of local budgets." This honor was bestowed on our beloved city after Moody's Investor Services declared the debt issued by Harrisburg to be junk, or below-investment grade bonds.

This week the Harrisburg/Carlisle region was named a best place to raise a family in 2010. We came in second just behind Des Moines, Iowa. Criteria was based the cost of living, prevalence of home ownership, median household income, housing costs, commute time, crime and the percentage of young adults that graduate high school.

Strawberry Picking

2010-06-09T09:25:00.000-04:00

Homecoming

2010-06-07T21:50:00.000-04:00

One of Brown Sugar's classmates' father was deployed to Afghanistan during the school year. Her class wrote him letters and sent him pictures during his 7 months there.

Well, this past Friday he came home! So many of her classmates, neighbors, and friends came out to the airport to welcome him back.

There were lots of signs, balloons and excitement. There was even a television crew there to capture the moment.

Our girls with their signs.

The minute Cmdr Baldus' kids spotted their dad they just about knocked him over with excitement. It really was a touching reunion....and then we all celebrated with a big bash back at their house.

All American Parade

2010-06-07T21:40:00.001-04:00

There is nothing more American than a good old-fashioned parade. For years we went to the Putnam County Fair parade. The entire town would line the sides of the main street as float after float went by representing various organizations and businesses in town. Of course, the main attraction was the float carrying the fair queen and princesses.

On Memorial Day, we decided to introduce the kids to an old-fashioned, small town parade. It didn't disappoint! Instead of fair queens we were treated to marching veterans, high stepping politicians and even some Clydesdale horses.

The favorite part of the parade for Junior was scrambling after all the candy that was thrown. He had quite a stash by the end.

Running into friends was a special treat!

There's one small part of any Americana parade that I failed to mention: ZEMBO. I don't even know what the Zembo is but almost every parade I've every seen is dominated by Zembo cars and men with funny hats. Our small-town Memorial Day parade was no exception.

There was the Zembo motorcycle brigade.

The Zembo little car brigade.
And the Zembo antique car brigade.

It was a great start to Memorial Day !

Ellie

2010-06-07T21:16:00.000-04:00

He's Five

2010-06-07T21:15:00.000-04:00

Junior turned 5 back at the end of May and he had a couple of celebrations to mark this big milestone. The first party took place one weekend when Uncle Jeff, Aunt Marnie, Viv and Ellie came to visit. For something different, we borrowed a friend's bounce house. The kids loved it! And so did a few of the adults :)

Ok Go

2010-05-24T08:29:00.001-04:00

Do you think I could get the kids to come up with something like this to keep them busy over summer vacation?

Junior's Show

2010-05-21T21:47:00.000-04:00

Tonight Junior's preschool class had a program for the families. They've been preparing for over a month and for over a month Junior has been telling us he wasn't going to do the show. Nope. Not. Gonna. Do. It.

We knew he had a role as a Jack-in-the-Box and by this week I thought he might be coming around since he told me he was the bestest and highest jumper in the class. But he outdid himself by also taking a front and center role in another song where he helped lead the motions.

Junior is just to the right of the cross in the white and blue shirt.

His main role was as a Jack-in-the-Box. Can you see him popping out of the box?

A star is born!

The Hobbit

2010-05-21T21:36:00.000-04:00

Sparkle read "The Hobbit" in class and they just concluded the book with a Hobbit party. The kids were suppose to come dressed as a character from the book. She choose to go as a hobbit. I guess hobbits have very hairy feet so we had a dicey moment or two when Sparkle tried to cut the hair off all Brown Sugar's dolls so she could have authentic hobbit feet. Oh the drama!

Sunday's Coming

2010-05-13T17:50:00.000-04:00

I think I should declare it YouTube week here on the ol' blog b/c I have so many good ones I could share. Here's one to stir a little controversy.

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Mommmy Rhapsody

2010-05-10T16:29:00.000-04:00

A friend's husband shared this on FB and it's too good to not re-post. The sound on the video is not very good, but if you make sure its NOT HD quality, it does better. I put the lyrics below.

Mommy Rhapsody from Church on the Move on Vimeo.

Is this the real life
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see

I'm just a mom
I need no sympathy
Because I do it all
On the go
Poopy pants, runny nose
Kitchen, kids and laundry
Everything is dirty
No sleep, no sleep.

Momma, I puked in the van
Momma, there's gum stuck in my hair
I just pushed Lucy down the stairs (she's bleeding)
Momma, where did I come from?
Better ask your daddy that when he gets home

Momma, oooooooh
I don't wanna die
Well, you should have thought of that before you broke my lamp!

I smell a little bit of poopy in the van
Sarah move, Sarah move
Get your butt in the Durango
Daddy's coming home late, better fix a hot plate NOW!

Fettuccini
Ravioli
Fettucini
Ravioli
Fettucini Alfredo
Magnifico!

I'm just a poor boy can I have some money please?
What do I look like? Money doesn't grow on trees!
Maybe if you ever picked up your things!

Party at Stevie's house will you let me go?
Joshua, we will not let you go!
Let me go!
Joshua, we will not let you go!
Let me go!
Joshua, we will not let you go!
Let me go!
Will not let you go!
Will not let you go!
Let me go!
No, no, no, no, no!
Oh mamma mia, momma mia, let me go!
If you ask me one more time I'll scream!
I'll scream!
I'll scream!

So you think I don't care if you stay up and cry?
So you think I don't need any sleep tonight?
Oh, oh baby
Please just go to sleep baby!
Just gotta get out
Just gotta right out of here

In the end it's worth it
Wouldn't change a thing
In the end it's worth it
In the end it's worth it to me

I Don't Mean to Brag But...

2010-05-09T20:57:00.002-04:00

we only have 13 more days of school!

Rite of Passage: Ear Piercing

2010-05-07T23:19:00.000-04:00

"I just can't stop smiling."

"I don't think I'm ever going to stop smiling."

"Who knew that getting your ears pierced could make you smile so much."

Art Gallery

2010-05-06T20:19:00.000-04:00

I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the other fourth grader's Renaissance projects on display. I thought you may like to see a few more of them also.

Masterpiece

2010-05-06T20:08:00.000-04:00

Last week I showed you some pictures of Sparkle working on a reproduction of a Michelangelo painting for her Renaissance project.

Here is the final product.

Not too shabby, eh?

Can you spot the original hanging on the bulletin board?

Fort Hunter Field Trip

2010-05-06T19:47:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Brown Sugar!

2010-05-06T19:43:00.000-04:00

Brown Sugar turned 8 on Sunday. She celebrated with a Nancy Drew Mystery Birthday party and sleepover on Friday night and then we had our family party on Sunday. All she wanted was a Nintendo DS...and that's all she got. From us, at least.

The coveted pink DS.

Silly bands galore.

Ready for next year's study of Greek and Roman history.

Gift from Sparkle.

For all my Buckeye Readers

2010-05-05T11:45:00.000-04:00

Great choreography...notice how many O-H-I-O's they sneak in!

Another Month Bites the Dust

2010-04-28T22:23:00.001-04:00

I can't believe that we are at the end of this month already. This has been a jam packed couple of weeks so I thought I'd do a little recap for you.

Of course, we started the month with a week of R&R in Florida. This was taken on the tram from the parking lot to Magic Kingdom. One side note...Brown Sugar got glasses just a few days before we left. And Sparkle has had glasses for about a year but is learning that she can see better if she wears them more often. And Junior? We don't know about his eyes yet, but he did a nose dive onto the sidewalk and sported a messed up nose for about 4 days.

The week we got back from Spring Break, the school's headmaster fulfilled a promise to the students by spending an entire night on the roof of the school. This was their reward for meeting our Read-A-Thon goal of raising $20,000. So up he went along with a tent, Wi-Fi, cot, table and chairs, and a supply of junk food that would last an army a year. There was definitely no roughing it involved and we weren't sure he was ever coming down again.

Throughout the evening, families would stop by to say good night and to bring him gifts of food, stuffed animals, etc. Around midnight, the owner of a local pizza shop (and the supplier of our school lunches) brought him a Philly Cheese Steak. But the real fun didn't start until around 2am when 12 upper school boys and one teacher dressed in black mounted an assault that included an air soft gun and firecrackers. Of course, you only get to be a headmaster by staying one (or more) steps ahead of your students, so he saw the entire attack coming since he had all the security cameras forwarded to his lap top. A police car, spot light, and a counter attack by the upper school principal and her two daughters and there was quite a story to tell the next day.

The picture below was taken in the evening when we were there to "tuck" in Mr. S. He invited the kids to come up and check out his rooftop home. Our kids are the three on the left.

A day later was our Family Fun Fair at school. The significance of this event is that I planned it. You should also know it caused me great grief and I think that event caused me to age 10 years. I'm beginning to think I'm getting too old for events with that many moving parts, but I lived through it and actually raised some money for the school. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, there is no picture of the madness of that day.

After the Fun Fair, we had to crack down and get busy on the numerous projects that come when you get to the end of a school year. Brown Sugar had to recreate the log cabin from Little House in the Big Woods. A box, 6 bags of pretzels, tacky glue, and several hours later we had a log cabin fit for the entire Ingalls' clan.

Sparkle had a much more ambitious project. In fourth grade they study the Renaissance period and have to recreate either a painting, sculpture, invention or building design of a famous artist from that time. Sparkle was assigned Michelangelo and she chose to do a portion of the Sistine Chapel, The Sibyl of Delphi.

I am so proud of the work she did on this project. She did an incredible job and the final product is beautiful...and it's even more amazing when you think a 4th grader did it. She is turning it in tomorrow and I'll post a final picture of it this weekend.

I think that about sums it up but the month isn't over yet! Sparkle has a project on bottlenose dolphins that she turns in Friday and then the social event of 2010 is taking place Friday night. Stay tune for all the mayhem.

More Friends

2010-04-10T10:48:00.004-04:00

Wishes

2010-04-10T10:48:00.003-04:00

Downtown Disney

2010-04-10T10:44:00.000-04:00

Supercalifragilistic Breakfast

2010-04-08T23:53:00.000-04:00

Pooh

Tigger

Mary Poppins

Alice in Wonderland

The Mad Hatter

Apparently Jim is a huge fan of the Mad Hatter. Who knew? Certainly not me!

A very satisfied customer!!!!

She was in character breakfast heaven.

Now if you are thinking you don't see Junior in any of those pictures, you'd be correct. He hid under tables, behind chairs, and even curled up in a ball and refused to have his picture taken with any of our visitors. Even Mary Poppins could not coax him out...not even with a spoonful of sugar!

Hollywood Studios

2010-04-08T23:42:00.000-04:00

Drawbridge

2010-04-05T22:51:00.000-04:00

Extreme Jumping

2010-04-05T22:49:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T20:45:00.003-04:00

Miniature Golf along the River

2010-04-04T20:44:00.000-04:00