FISH!

So we took a little day trip to Pymatuning. My kids declared it "awesome!"

First it is required that you stop at the spillway and be disgusted and awed by what you find there.

Namely fish. Lots of fish.

No, seriously, lots of fish.





Luckily they allow, make that encourage, you to bring bread to feed the fish. My kids loved it.

From there we went to the hatchery. That is where they collect all the eggs and then grow all the fish you see here. It was mildly interesting. My kids were not ... um... thrilled with much there. OK, the giant cat fish in the tank had their attention. The process of raising fish was not enthralling to them.

Then we moved on to the nature center. If you ever go to Pymatuning, visit the nature center. It was so very nice.... and free. They have some fabulous displays of wild animals native to the area. Some of which I didn't even realise were native to the area. Most of the displays say "do not touch." We did find a bear skin lacking that label. Ethan took some awesome pictures of Phebe on my shoulders rubbing herself all over the pelt. If we didn't have a no kid picture on line policy I would gladly share it with you. She loved it.

They also have an area in the back where kids can touch things. The big draw for Phebe was... the "identify the fur" game. She was just grabbing skins and rubbing her face in them. Fox is my personal favorite.

While preparing for this trip I found out that Pymatuning has 6 bald eagle nests in it's park. When you go to the nature area you can see them, sort of. You know, if you bring binoculars. Ethan and Victor did manage to score a view though. Caleb claims he did too. I don't believe him.

I didn't realise how cool that trip would really be. I would highly recommend visiting if you have the chance.

A bit darker

Here is Manha Manha again. Only a little different. Yes, it is kind of creepy. Ethan and I laughed and laughed and watched it over and over.

The popcorn miracle.

If you have not been following along I would like to fill you in on a tid bit.

My 3 year old has calorie problems.

Seriously. The kid needs fed at LEAST every 2 hours. Cheese sticks and peanut butter are very important around here. If you do not get him fed at the first signs of hunger he will morph into a crying puddle of irrational sadness. 

That being said, let me share a story.

A week ago my mother and I went gallivanting around the countryside looking for little farm markets. I guess I had underestimated how long it would take and how many snacks to pack. Soon I have a little boy howling in the backseat. I asked him what he wanted. His response...

"Popcorn."

... You want popcorn?

"Yes mom, I really want popcorn."

Ok, I'll try to get you something as soon as we can. We locate the next farm market on our list and head inside. It is a lovely little store. My mom points out they have bags of flavored popcorn for sale. I take notice and will probably grab one on the way out the door. But wait...

They have a popper right in the store. With little cups beside it. I ask a woman who works there how much it costs. As I suspected, it is free.

Of all the stores I have been to in my life, there have probably been about 3 that offered complimentary popcorn. The odds are just against the coincidence.That made it possible for me to shop quickly and quietly and get back on the road.

I realise this is just a quaint little story. It meant the world to me. It meant sanity for my son. I am so grateful my Father in Heaven knows my son and me. He met our needs. That is amazing to me. Just imagine what things he has in place for my son, or me or you. Things big or small that just fall into place because he knows where we are and what we need.

Dragonbreath

"A day and a half was a pretty long time, especially when you were at school.Time always moved extra slowly there. Math class in particular took several centuries a day."
- Dragonbreath, Curse of the Were-Wiener







 My son found the Dragonbreath series at the library the other day. They are a graphic novel/ chapter book for kids. Highly entertaining. I completely recommend these books.

For a smile

I thought you could use these amusing little videos. So here they are.

My kids just laugh and laugh over these.

Let's be grateful!

Today I am going to play "I'm so grateful for..."

I do this everyday in my journal. I just thought you might enjoy some of the things I am grateful for today.

• Fresh peaches, lots of them. Sweet and juicy.
• I did NOT lose my temper at my intensely passionate, incredibly stubborn and currently argumentative daughter. Unloading and loading the dishwasher would go so much faster if I didn't list it as one of my kids jobs.
• Victor spoke up about what Caleb and Phebe were doing.
• That the shampoo bottle and conditioner bottles were less than half full when Phebe and Caleb dumped them.
• They climbed into the bathtub to pour them out.
• Phebe was unable to get out of the bathtub after getting covered in shampoo, thus she could not take her mess all over the house.
• She did not get any in her eyes.
• My friend and her kids came over to help with peaches.
• No one got cut when a bowl was broken.
• We got some peaches canned, some ready for making jam and fruit leather.

There are many more things that I am grateful for today. There is my sample list. Hope you are having a great day too!

Um... what?

I just wanted to share with you what is possibly the weirdest most disturbing music video I have ever seen.

I bet Lisa Frank would have loved the begining.    

                                                                                      

Seriously, it was pretty bizarre wasn't it?