Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Spring Break photos
So here's some photos from Spring break about a month ago. We had an awesome trip to the Ozarks - long drive but since the kids are older it really isn't as bad anymore. Some friends of ours hooked us up with the link to the cabins. They'd never been there, and now I hope we don't have to fight them next Spring Break for a reservation because we returned with glowing recommendations and want to go back!
Here's our fun little cabin. Actually I should say big cabin. It had 3 bedrooms - one was a loft upstairs, one was a regular room on the main floor and one was a separate room downstairs on the bluff. The downstairs one could only be accessed by the deck stairs outside, and while it had its own TV it didn't have a bathroom, so it's one we wouldn't be able to use until kids are older. The deck you can see on the back extended all around the cabin; it had a little jog in the middle offering some spaces of semi-privacy, and on the left side of the cabin had a patio with a table that would have been nice for eating breakfast or lunch on.
Our view from one of the decks.
The rock hill behind (in front of?) the cabin. Since the cabin was on the bluff, there was a pretty big drop off about twenty feet from the end of the very bottom deck (outside that solitary bedroom below). The kids were good about staying within the boundaries we set, but the dog got pretty close once or twice. And there weren't any really huge flat areas to run around on, but the kids had a great time climbing around on these rocks, especially once Alex got secure enough that he wasn't getting stuck halfway.
The living room of our cabin. As you can see, we weren't exactly roughing it. To the right of this picture was the TV with satellite reception and a dvd player. And the fireplace was gas, so to light it each night all we had to do was flip that switch on the wall to "on" and away it roared.
There was still snow on the ground the day we got there from the storm that had just passed through. Of course the kids were overjoyed about it. This picture is a little deceptive; this was at the side of the road so it looks deeper than it actually was. But my kids were just happy to have finally seen some snow this year.
Grace and her snow gun.
Alex and his hiking stick.
There were lots of hikes within a 30 minute drive from the cabins. Here's my kids doing their favorite nature activity - throwing rocks into a body of water.
Kids inside a big cave. This picture doesn't do the enormity of it justice. It was huge.
Our little artist sketching her scenic view.
Here's our fun little cabin. Actually I should say big cabin. It had 3 bedrooms - one was a loft upstairs, one was a regular room on the main floor and one was a separate room downstairs on the bluff. The downstairs one could only be accessed by the deck stairs outside, and while it had its own TV it didn't have a bathroom, so it's one we wouldn't be able to use until kids are older. The deck you can see on the back extended all around the cabin; it had a little jog in the middle offering some spaces of semi-privacy, and on the left side of the cabin had a patio with a table that would have been nice for eating breakfast or lunch on.
Our view from one of the decks.
The rock hill behind (in front of?) the cabin. Since the cabin was on the bluff, there was a pretty big drop off about twenty feet from the end of the very bottom deck (outside that solitary bedroom below). The kids were good about staying within the boundaries we set, but the dog got pretty close once or twice. And there weren't any really huge flat areas to run around on, but the kids had a great time climbing around on these rocks, especially once Alex got secure enough that he wasn't getting stuck halfway.
The living room of our cabin. As you can see, we weren't exactly roughing it. To the right of this picture was the TV with satellite reception and a dvd player. And the fireplace was gas, so to light it each night all we had to do was flip that switch on the wall to "on" and away it roared.
There was still snow on the ground the day we got there from the storm that had just passed through. Of course the kids were overjoyed about it. This picture is a little deceptive; this was at the side of the road so it looks deeper than it actually was. But my kids were just happy to have finally seen some snow this year.
Grace and her snow gun.
Alex and his hiking stick.
There were lots of hikes within a 30 minute drive from the cabins. Here's my kids doing their favorite nature activity - throwing rocks into a body of water.
Kids inside a big cave. This picture doesn't do the enormity of it justice. It was huge.
Our little artist sketching her scenic view.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Daytime TV
Once Grace got past the nursing-all-day stage I really quit watching daytime TV as a stay-at-home mom (except for kids TV, of course). Today I flipped on the noon news because every once in a while I like to watch it, and I couldn't believe one of the ads I saw. Between Brian Loncar attorney ads (the TOUGH Texas Hammer!) and Devry-type ads, I saw an ad for Texas Car Title & Payday Loans. Yes, if you own your car you too can get some instant cash, and still drive your car (provided you pay that loan back on time). It just doesn't seem legal to me. And since it is apparently legal, it seems like just a REALLY bad idea. But I guess there are people out there desperate (or stupid) enough to give that company enough business to run daytime TV ads.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
My how things change
I was transferring some pics from Jim's computer (where the library of all our photos resides) to my laptop when I came across these two pictures:
From a visit of Kathy and her kids back in January 2001, making Emma four and Max almost two. And after looking at how cute the kids were, I suddenly noticed the actual room in the background behind Max. So THAT is what our house used to look like before we had kids! Ah, to remember the days when the TV room wasn't packed with toys. So long ago...
Also here's two shots of my irises, which are blooming profusely in the back yard. The white and yellow bearded irises have joined the purple Dutch ones. I used to have a ton of purple bearded ones (everyones favorite) that had grown next to the house for who knows how long. I had to move them six or seven years ago when we had the foundation worked on, but I don't think they survived the transplant. Unfortunately I think they ended up in a spot that the soil washed out of, exposing the rhizomes (yes, I could have said "bulbs" but then figured someone would have corrected me). So if anyone has some purple ones they are dividing and want to share, please keep me in mind!
From a visit of Kathy and her kids back in January 2001, making Emma four and Max almost two. And after looking at how cute the kids were, I suddenly noticed the actual room in the background behind Max. So THAT is what our house used to look like before we had kids! Ah, to remember the days when the TV room wasn't packed with toys. So long ago...Also here's two shots of my irises, which are blooming profusely in the back yard. The white and yellow bearded irises have joined the purple Dutch ones. I used to have a ton of purple bearded ones (everyones favorite) that had grown next to the house for who knows how long. I had to move them six or seven years ago when we had the foundation worked on, but I don't think they survived the transplant. Unfortunately I think they ended up in a spot that the soil washed out of, exposing the rhizomes (yes, I could have said "bulbs" but then figured someone would have corrected me). So if anyone has some purple ones they are dividing and want to share, please keep me in mind!
Saturday, April 05, 2008
I'm not cheap
I'm torn on this one. I needed to find some party gifts for game winners at Grace's upcoming birthday party. And being a single-income household, I needed to find cheap options. So I headed over to one of the many local dollar stores. If you've never been to one, at least in this one it was true that EVERYTHING cost a dollar. I found what I needed - kites and a jump rope, all for a dollar apiece. So six dollars and fifty cents or so later I came out with more than enough gifts.
But the entire time I'm walking through the store my skin was crawling, and all I could think in my head was "recall, recall, recall." From what I can tell, a LOT of recalled kid's products tend to come from dollar stores. How else can this stuff be so darn cheap, unless it's made in some overseas factory with little to no oversight, with god knows what level of lead in the paint? I keep telling myself that at least at 6-years old these kids won't be sticking any of this stuff in their mouth. Maybe it will all break the first time they try to use it and I'll be in the clear.
Ick - I think I just can't bring myself to do that one again. I guess I'll make myself pay more in the future and get it at Target (and probably still get stuck with a recall notice).
But the entire time I'm walking through the store my skin was crawling, and all I could think in my head was "recall, recall, recall." From what I can tell, a LOT of recalled kid's products tend to come from dollar stores. How else can this stuff be so darn cheap, unless it's made in some overseas factory with little to no oversight, with god knows what level of lead in the paint? I keep telling myself that at least at 6-years old these kids won't be sticking any of this stuff in their mouth. Maybe it will all break the first time they try to use it and I'll be in the clear.
Ick - I think I just can't bring myself to do that one again. I guess I'll make myself pay more in the future and get it at Target (and probably still get stuck with a recall notice).
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