I am in such awe every year when school gets closer to starting. The amount of parents who say things like, "I can't wait for school to start - my kids will be out of my hair again!" or "First day of school... I feel my sanity slowly coming back :)", which was posted by a friend on Facebook, is pretty sad. Sometimes I find it so hard to bite my tongue to not say anything. Why do those people even have kids if they look so forward to shipping them off to strangers for most of the day for approximately 177 days a year? I feel bad for those kids who's parents don't want to be around them and can't wait to get rid of them for 8 hours a day.
I'm not saying that all parents who send their kids to school are horrible - just the ones who make it well known that their day is going to be so much better with their kids not around.
Frustrating.....
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Children's Museum
We went to the Children's Museum yesterday and I remembered to take my camera this time. Here's a couple pictures from the Grossology part.
Big nose you could walk into - Brendon standing in there.
At the Art Gallery
They had a whole Egypt thing too which was really cool! Brenna was fascinated by it.
Playing in the science lab learning how to build dams and make rivers on a water table.
And finally --- Brenna lost another tooth today!! Her first top one. It popped out while we were eating breakfast at IHOP. She's getting so big!!!!
Big nose you could walk into - Brendon standing in there.
At the Art Gallery
They had a whole Egypt thing too which was really cool! Brenna was fascinated by it.
Playing in the science lab learning how to build dams and make rivers on a water table.
And finally --- Brenna lost another tooth today!! Her first top one. It popped out while we were eating breakfast at IHOP. She's getting so big!!!!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
I could have written this word for word. Such a true depiction of the things I feel and go through choosing to go the route of unschooling with Brenna......
Home Education Magazine
May-June/97 - Articles
Dealing With Doubts - Janet Keip
Choosing any unconventional path carries with it periods of uncertainty and doubt. The choice to homeschool is an unconventional choice; the choice to unschool is even more unconventional. Like most unschoolers, we are convicted of the wisdom of our education choice yet there are times when doubts assail us. Sometimes the source of those doubts is from a quarter from which we least anticipate.
Last week we had a parent's networking meeting, gathering to discuss homeschooling issues and concerns while our children played. My eleven year old daughter, Jaime, a veteran-never-been-to-school unschooler was one of those playing children. As usual, following the meeting, we gathered in clusters to talk and catch up with the latest news of our family's respective comings and goings. I was already feeling a little alienated, having spent two hours listening to others compare curriculum and other pre-programmed learning tools. I am familiar with all the methods of homeschooling, the various materials and can speak intelligently of such matters, yet was left with a lingering sense of "not fitting in" even with this group of homeschoolers whom I know so well. Our unschooling path was leading us even further away from the mainstream of homeschoolers.
The real uncertainty came as Jaime and I headed out the door. Few questions can erode a new unschooler's confidence more than "What grade are you in?" or "What curriculum are you using this year?" There is nothing quite like seeing your child's eyes rolling frantically in your direction to make your heart turn over and cause you to question everything you believe and hold true.
"Hi, Jaime. What grade are you in this year?" The well-meaning question suddenly pins her, mute and helpless. Jaime fastens her apprehensive eyes on my face.
"We, ummm . . . we don't use grades.", I manage to intervene.
"Oh, realllly." our friend replies. "How do you know where she is at and how she is doing?" Warning bells clang in response to her suddenly cool, steely tone.
"Well", (a long pause as I take a deep breath to ground myself),"She seems to be doing just fine, learning and moving forward at her own pace. She is a very happy and contented kid."
"Ohhhh, I see. Well, how do you know she is -- like, is she at grade level?" (At this point, she leans forward conspiratorially, as if to say our little family secret is safe with her.)
"We trust.", I say. "We trust that she knows what to learn to take her where she is going."
"Well, doesn't she have to take tests or something?", the speaker finally blurts out incredulously.
"Mmmmm, not really", I reply, evasively, my willingness to share our philosophy of learning evaporating.
Jaime is tugging on my shirt sleeve, whispering, "Can we go, now?
I'm left with the sour aftertaste of a conversation gone wrong, lingering doubts and slight, smoldering anger at a fellow homeschooler's lack of understanding.
How could I have handled this better? Just what sort of defenses have we against such erosions of our confidence? What tools could I have used?
Perhaps it is easier to be an unschooler in places where there are many unschoolers but where we live, we are the only unschoolers amongst a large homeschooling group. Among the general population, most people have heard of homeschooling but few have heard of unschooling. Many homeschoolers have never heard of unschooling, or as our homeschooling friend demonstrated, cannot yet grasp the concept of child-directed learning through living. I suspect there are others like us out there in our community who would like to unschool (or who are unschooling already)but who feel hesitant and shaky against the perceived pressure to stay to the conventional path.
Time is the First Tool
When we first began homeschooling six years ago, I felt a raw defensiveness when someone challenged or questioned my choice to homeschool. Now I feel that same surge of defensiveness when someone questions unschooling. In the beginning, my conviction of the rightness of homeschooling for us and our daughter was firm. However, homeschooling was still too new and too fresh for me to easily articulate our philosophy. Today, I confidently speak to anyone about homeschooling, no matter how uninformed or hostile they might be. Unschooling, a more recent shift for us, is still too fresh to for me to have developed an assured, confident response. Given time, I trust I will acquire the same ease of speaking about our choices to unschool.
The Second Tool: Support Networks
Building a support network by talking on the Internet and on-line service forums bolsters my confidence and feeds my need to connect with others living a similar lifestyle. It has also helped me to understand that unschooling is still relatively unique among all homeschoolers. Feeling unique is not a result of living in a fairly remote and isolated area but an understandable response to an unconventional choice. It has been important for me to build a supportive community with other unschoolers no matter how far afield I must reach.
Reading is the Third Tool
Staying informed and knowledgeable through reading about other unschoolers continues to be my best form of defense. The more I learn about and share of the experiences of other unschoolers, the better I understand and can articulate my thoughts. My bookshelves bulge with practically every book and most magazines ever published on the topic of unschooling! Every month the list of titles grows. HEM and Growing Without Schooling are consumed as soon as they arrive. Books such as The Art of Education, by Linda Dobson, Deschooling Our Lives, by Matt Hern, and Real Lives, by Grace Llewellyn have fueled my resolve to unschool in spite of periodic doubts.
I have noticed that talking to schooling parents about homeschooling sometimes generates a defensive prickliness in them. Institutions like this, I remind myself to be gentle. I must also be aware that mainstream homeschoolers may feel a similar sense of defensiveness in their choice to follow a more structured and conventional path than unschoolers. I can remain sensitive to their feelings while reminding myself to be gracious, understanding and tolerant. Learning new ways takes time. © 1997Janet Keip
Home Education Magazine
May-June/97 - Articles
Dealing With Doubts - Janet Keip
Choosing any unconventional path carries with it periods of uncertainty and doubt. The choice to homeschool is an unconventional choice; the choice to unschool is even more unconventional. Like most unschoolers, we are convicted of the wisdom of our education choice yet there are times when doubts assail us. Sometimes the source of those doubts is from a quarter from which we least anticipate.
Last week we had a parent's networking meeting, gathering to discuss homeschooling issues and concerns while our children played. My eleven year old daughter, Jaime, a veteran-never-been-to-school unschooler was one of those playing children. As usual, following the meeting, we gathered in clusters to talk and catch up with the latest news of our family's respective comings and goings. I was already feeling a little alienated, having spent two hours listening to others compare curriculum and other pre-programmed learning tools. I am familiar with all the methods of homeschooling, the various materials and can speak intelligently of such matters, yet was left with a lingering sense of "not fitting in" even with this group of homeschoolers whom I know so well. Our unschooling path was leading us even further away from the mainstream of homeschoolers.
The real uncertainty came as Jaime and I headed out the door. Few questions can erode a new unschooler's confidence more than "What grade are you in?" or "What curriculum are you using this year?" There is nothing quite like seeing your child's eyes rolling frantically in your direction to make your heart turn over and cause you to question everything you believe and hold true.
"Hi, Jaime. What grade are you in this year?" The well-meaning question suddenly pins her, mute and helpless. Jaime fastens her apprehensive eyes on my face.
"We, ummm . . . we don't use grades.", I manage to intervene.
"Oh, realllly." our friend replies. "How do you know where she is at and how she is doing?" Warning bells clang in response to her suddenly cool, steely tone.
"Well", (a long pause as I take a deep breath to ground myself),"She seems to be doing just fine, learning and moving forward at her own pace. She is a very happy and contented kid."
"Ohhhh, I see. Well, how do you know she is -- like, is she at grade level?" (At this point, she leans forward conspiratorially, as if to say our little family secret is safe with her.)
"We trust.", I say. "We trust that she knows what to learn to take her where she is going."
"Well, doesn't she have to take tests or something?", the speaker finally blurts out incredulously.
"Mmmmm, not really", I reply, evasively, my willingness to share our philosophy of learning evaporating.
Jaime is tugging on my shirt sleeve, whispering, "Can we go, now?
I'm left with the sour aftertaste of a conversation gone wrong, lingering doubts and slight, smoldering anger at a fellow homeschooler's lack of understanding.
How could I have handled this better? Just what sort of defenses have we against such erosions of our confidence? What tools could I have used?
Perhaps it is easier to be an unschooler in places where there are many unschoolers but where we live, we are the only unschoolers amongst a large homeschooling group. Among the general population, most people have heard of homeschooling but few have heard of unschooling. Many homeschoolers have never heard of unschooling, or as our homeschooling friend demonstrated, cannot yet grasp the concept of child-directed learning through living. I suspect there are others like us out there in our community who would like to unschool (or who are unschooling already)but who feel hesitant and shaky against the perceived pressure to stay to the conventional path.
Time is the First Tool
When we first began homeschooling six years ago, I felt a raw defensiveness when someone challenged or questioned my choice to homeschool. Now I feel that same surge of defensiveness when someone questions unschooling. In the beginning, my conviction of the rightness of homeschooling for us and our daughter was firm. However, homeschooling was still too new and too fresh for me to easily articulate our philosophy. Today, I confidently speak to anyone about homeschooling, no matter how uninformed or hostile they might be. Unschooling, a more recent shift for us, is still too fresh to for me to have developed an assured, confident response. Given time, I trust I will acquire the same ease of speaking about our choices to unschool.
The Second Tool: Support Networks
Building a support network by talking on the Internet and on-line service forums bolsters my confidence and feeds my need to connect with others living a similar lifestyle. It has also helped me to understand that unschooling is still relatively unique among all homeschoolers. Feeling unique is not a result of living in a fairly remote and isolated area but an understandable response to an unconventional choice. It has been important for me to build a supportive community with other unschoolers no matter how far afield I must reach.
Reading is the Third Tool
Staying informed and knowledgeable through reading about other unschoolers continues to be my best form of defense. The more I learn about and share of the experiences of other unschoolers, the better I understand and can articulate my thoughts. My bookshelves bulge with practically every book and most magazines ever published on the topic of unschooling! Every month the list of titles grows. HEM and Growing Without Schooling are consumed as soon as they arrive. Books such as The Art of Education, by Linda Dobson, Deschooling Our Lives, by Matt Hern, and Real Lives, by Grace Llewellyn have fueled my resolve to unschool in spite of periodic doubts.
I have noticed that talking to schooling parents about homeschooling sometimes generates a defensive prickliness in them. Institutions like this, I remind myself to be gentle. I must also be aware that mainstream homeschoolers may feel a similar sense of defensiveness in their choice to follow a more structured and conventional path than unschoolers. I can remain sensitive to their feelings while reminding myself to be gracious, understanding and tolerant. Learning new ways takes time. © 1997Janet Keip
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Healthy Times
So I've been trying to cook a lot healthier lately. Brenna is dealing with it rather well and is adjusting wonderfully. Some things she turns her nose up at but she's getting to where she'll try most things. As long as she tries it and doesn't like it then she doesn't have to eat it - but she has to at least try it. Her diet is starting to widen tremendously though, which I'm happy about. No more hot dogs and mac and cheese in this house. LOL The picture to the left is one of her favorite things for breakfast now (it looked so pretty, I had to take a picture of it!). Whole grain waffles with organic yogurt, blueberries and strawberries. She doesn't like eggs so I have to get a little creative when it comes to trying to make her a good, healthy breakfast. For snacks she has fruit or my homemade granola with yogurt. We also made these granola and almond butter balls that are so, so yummy!In fact, right now she has a friend over and she just made them both fruit salads to snack on while they watch a movie. All her idea too - I love it. :) Gotta teach 'em young! (Ok, well now that I think about, I guess it helps that there's no other option besides fruit! LOL)
Our fridge now is stocked with all kinds of salads, raw veggies, fruits and as much organic stuff that I can find at the store. They don't have much but I find something new just about every time I go. I think the most important thing that I buy organic is the milk. It's expensive but it's not loaded with antibiotics and growth hormones - it's still pasteurized, which isn't all that great for you, but I have a friend who sells raw cow's milk and I will be trying to get ahold of her soon. I found a guy pretty close by that has an organic, free-roaming chicken farm and he sells his eggs for $2 a dozen. I just wish we had some kind of farmer's market here with locally grown, organic veggies. The selection at the grocery store is not all that impressive.
When I do go shopping though I find that it takes me much longer now. I am always reading labels now. I read a long time ago that when you shop healthy you will do most of your shopping on the perimeter and hardly ever go in the middle isles. That is so true! My cart is now loaded down mostly with clear, plastic produce bags. LOL The downside of shopping that way is that I can't just go every two weeks now. I'm having to make trips about twice a week. Fresh veggies don't seem to last as long as boxed food with tons of preservatives and chemicals. LOL
My next major thing that I want to accomplish is to get rid of all my chemical cleaning supplies and start cleaning with just good ol' vinegar and baking soda. I've been reading a lot about it and I feel that it is very do-able and a much better alternative. Cheaper too - I'm always up for cheaper. :)
So yes, Brandi is on another whirl-wind adventure.....
Monday, August 17, 2009
10 Ways We Misunderstand Children
(I need to remind myself of these every so often too....)
1. We expect children to be able to do things before they are ready. We ask an infant to keep quiet. We ask a 2-year-old to sit still. We ask a 4-year-old to clean his room. In all of these situations, we are being unrealistic. We are setting ourselves up for disappointment and setting up the child for repeated failures to please us. Yet many parents ask their young children to do things that even an older child would find difficult. In short, we ask children to stop acting their age.
2. We become angry when a child fails to meet our needs. A child can only do what he can do. If a child cannot do something we ask, it is unfair and unrealistic to expect or demand more, and anger only makes things worse. A 2-year-old can only act like a 2-year-old, a 5-year-old cannot act like a 10-year-old, and a 10-year-old cannot act like an adult! To expect more is unrealistic and unhelpful. There are limits to what a child can manage, and if we don't accept those limits, it can only result in frustration on both sides.
3. We mistrust the child's motives. If a child cannot meet our needs, we assume that he is being defiant, instead of looking closely at the situation from the child's point of view, so we can determine the truth of the matter. In reality, a "defiant" child may be ill, tired, hungry, in pain, responding to an emotional or physical hurt, or struggling with a hidden cause such as food allergy. Yet we seem to overlook these possibilities in favor of thinking the worst about the child's "personality".
4. We don't allow children to be children. We somehow forget what it was like to be a child ourselves, and expect the child to act like an adult instead of acting his age. A healthy child will be rambunctious, noisy, emotionally expressive, and will have a short attention span. All of these "problems" are not problems at all, but are in fact normal qualities of a normal child. Rather, it is our society and our society's expectations of perfect behavior that are abnormal.
5. We get it backwards. We expect, and demand, that the child meet our needs - for quiet, for uninterrupted sleep, for obedience to our wishes, and so on. Instead of accepting our parental role to meet the child's needs, we expect the child to care for ours. We can become so focused on our own unmet needs and frustrations that we forget this is a child, who has needs of his own that she cannot meet herself.
6. We blame and criticize when a child makes a mistake. Yet children have had very little experience in life, and they will inevitably make mistakes. Mistakes are a natural part of learning at any age. Instead of understanding and helping the child, we blame him, as though he should be able to learn everything perfectly the first time. To err is human; to err in childhood is human and unavoidable. Yet we react to each mistake, infraction of a rule, or misbehavior with surprise and disappointment. It makes no sense to understand that a child will make mistakes, and then to react as though we think the child should behave perfectly at all times.
7. We forget how deeply blame and criticism can hurt a child. Many parents are coming to understand that physically hurting a child is wrong and harmful, yet many of us forget how painful angry words, insults, and blame can be to a child who can only believe that he is at fault.
8. We forget how healing loving actions can be. We fall into vicious cycles of blame and misbehavior, instead of stopping to give the child love, reassurance, self-esteem, and security with hugs and kind words.
9. We forget that our behavior provides the most potent lessons to the child. It is truly "not what we say but what we do" that the child takes to heart. A parent who hits a child for hitting, telling him that hitting is wrong, is in fact teaching that hitting is right, at least for those in power. It is the parent who responds to problems with peaceful solutions who is teaching his child how to be a peaceful adult. So-called problems present our best opportunity for teaching values, because children learn best when they are learning about real things in real life.
10. We see only the outward behavior, not the love and good intentions inside the child. When a child's behavior disappoints us, we should, more than anything else we do, "assume the best". We should assume that the child means well and is only behaving as well as possible considering all the circumstances (both obvious and hidden from us), together with his level of experience in life. If we always assume the best about our child, the child will be free to do his best. If we give only love, love is all we will receive.
1. We expect children to be able to do things before they are ready. We ask an infant to keep quiet. We ask a 2-year-old to sit still. We ask a 4-year-old to clean his room. In all of these situations, we are being unrealistic. We are setting ourselves up for disappointment and setting up the child for repeated failures to please us. Yet many parents ask their young children to do things that even an older child would find difficult. In short, we ask children to stop acting their age.
2. We become angry when a child fails to meet our needs. A child can only do what he can do. If a child cannot do something we ask, it is unfair and unrealistic to expect or demand more, and anger only makes things worse. A 2-year-old can only act like a 2-year-old, a 5-year-old cannot act like a 10-year-old, and a 10-year-old cannot act like an adult! To expect more is unrealistic and unhelpful. There are limits to what a child can manage, and if we don't accept those limits, it can only result in frustration on both sides.
3. We mistrust the child's motives. If a child cannot meet our needs, we assume that he is being defiant, instead of looking closely at the situation from the child's point of view, so we can determine the truth of the matter. In reality, a "defiant" child may be ill, tired, hungry, in pain, responding to an emotional or physical hurt, or struggling with a hidden cause such as food allergy. Yet we seem to overlook these possibilities in favor of thinking the worst about the child's "personality".
4. We don't allow children to be children. We somehow forget what it was like to be a child ourselves, and expect the child to act like an adult instead of acting his age. A healthy child will be rambunctious, noisy, emotionally expressive, and will have a short attention span. All of these "problems" are not problems at all, but are in fact normal qualities of a normal child. Rather, it is our society and our society's expectations of perfect behavior that are abnormal.
5. We get it backwards. We expect, and demand, that the child meet our needs - for quiet, for uninterrupted sleep, for obedience to our wishes, and so on. Instead of accepting our parental role to meet the child's needs, we expect the child to care for ours. We can become so focused on our own unmet needs and frustrations that we forget this is a child, who has needs of his own that she cannot meet herself.
6. We blame and criticize when a child makes a mistake. Yet children have had very little experience in life, and they will inevitably make mistakes. Mistakes are a natural part of learning at any age. Instead of understanding and helping the child, we blame him, as though he should be able to learn everything perfectly the first time. To err is human; to err in childhood is human and unavoidable. Yet we react to each mistake, infraction of a rule, or misbehavior with surprise and disappointment. It makes no sense to understand that a child will make mistakes, and then to react as though we think the child should behave perfectly at all times.
7. We forget how deeply blame and criticism can hurt a child. Many parents are coming to understand that physically hurting a child is wrong and harmful, yet many of us forget how painful angry words, insults, and blame can be to a child who can only believe that he is at fault.
8. We forget how healing loving actions can be. We fall into vicious cycles of blame and misbehavior, instead of stopping to give the child love, reassurance, self-esteem, and security with hugs and kind words.
9. We forget that our behavior provides the most potent lessons to the child. It is truly "not what we say but what we do" that the child takes to heart. A parent who hits a child for hitting, telling him that hitting is wrong, is in fact teaching that hitting is right, at least for those in power. It is the parent who responds to problems with peaceful solutions who is teaching his child how to be a peaceful adult. So-called problems present our best opportunity for teaching values, because children learn best when they are learning about real things in real life.
10. We see only the outward behavior, not the love and good intentions inside the child. When a child's behavior disappoints us, we should, more than anything else we do, "assume the best". We should assume that the child means well and is only behaving as well as possible considering all the circumstances (both obvious and hidden from us), together with his level of experience in life. If we always assume the best about our child, the child will be free to do his best. If we give only love, love is all we will receive.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Finally posting about our trip...(very long, sorry)
So I am finally able to get on and post! I've been busy with laundry, cleaning and spending time with my friend, Mieree.
Anyway, we had such a wonderful time on our trip. We are definitely going to do a road trip again in the very near future. Brenna was absolutely wonderful the entire time. She's such a great traveler and stays entertained with her DVD player, Nintendo DS and drawing. Never once did we hear, "When are we gonna be there?" or anything like it. I was amazed! LOL
I loved being in the car and seeing all the different states and scenery. We drove through 7 states in 12 days - so as you can see there was LOTS of car time. I was the navigator and spent the whole time with a map in my lap, telling Brendon and Brenna where we were going to be next and pointing out other miscellaneous things (rivers, ect). I took tons of books but never even opened one. I was having too much fun with my maps! At one point I told Brendon that I loved maps and he said he's going to get me a t-shirt that says that. LOL
I really tried getting Brenna interested in all the beautiful landscaping but she just didn't care much. But when we drove through a town and she finally took her nose out of her DS she saw a Pizza Hut and said with all the excitment she had, "Look Mom! They have a Pizza Hut!" Crazy kid.
So let me start at the beginning....
We stayed in Waco the first night (Wednesday) with Aunt Lyn and went to see her beautiful Arabian horses. They are not only pretty but VERY friendly and when we went in the pasture the six that were there all came right up to us and loved on us. Brenna was thrilled. I did forget my camera that time so I never got any pictures. I'm hoping we will be able to go again so I can make up for my mistake. They would have been great pictures.
Second day the destination was Kansas. When we drove through Oklahoma, one of the highlights was taking a small detour and driving on Route 66. I thought that was pretty neat and we found a park to stop and eat lunch at. We took a big ice chest with us and tons of food - saved lots of money that way!
So after we left Route 66 we headed onto Kansas. With me being such a huge Wizard of Oz fan, it was really cool seeing the "Welcome to Kansas" sign. Of course we listened to the soundtrack - how could I not? :) We got to our hotel that night and swam in the pool for a while - that was nice after a long day in the car.
Third day we woke up and packed and drove to Wamego, Kansas - home of the Wizard of Oz Museum and Winery. It was fabulous - better then I had expected. They had so many neat things. One of my favorites was a clay monkey that they actually used in the movie for the scenes with the flying monkeys. I took tons of pictures. We also stopped at the Wizard of Oz Winery and got a few bottles of wine. Once those are empty they will be a nice addition to my collection.
After we left the museum we got back on the road to head to Iowa. We took a small detour (took lots of those actually!) and followed signs that lead us to the Oregon Trail. After a few failed attempts to find a place to stop and eat we finally found a nice park on the Oregon Trail and had lunch. It was neat being someplace that I had only read about as a kid. I borrowed a book from Mieree for Brenna to read about the Oregon Trail. It's a story about two kids so I think she might like it - especially since she has actually been there.
We finally got to Iowa around 9pm and got right in the pool. Something about washing in-the-car-grime off of you is very refreshing!
The next day, Saturday, was Travis and Marrona's wedding. The ceremony was at a park and it was so nice - great weather for an outdoor wedding. We all went to the reception afterwards and Brenna had a fun time dancing on the dance floor with a bunch of other kids. We met Jason's (Brendon's step brother) girl friend and her little boy, Ethan - such wonderful people! Brenna and Ethan really hit it off and spent the whole time together. Angie and I got along great and we are hoping they will come down and visit sometime.
Day five - Sunday. On the road again headed to Springfield, Missouri. When we got into Missouri we decided to take the scenic route through Central Missouri because we thought it would be a lot prettier then just driving along the border of Kansas and Missouri. We were wrong. Not that great for the extra hour or so we spent in the car. It was pretty but not really worth it.
Finally got to Springfield and of course it was straight to the pool. We stayed at the Ramada Oasis and they had a great indoor pool with an atrium.
Funny story here --- After we got to the hotel Brendon said that he heard that there were three bands staying there that night - LA Guns, Great White and Firehouse (all 80's hair bands). I went out to the car real quick at about 9:30 that night to get some stuff and happened to see some guys getting instruments out of a van. They had these stage pass things around their necks that said LA Guns. These other two guys were behind them and they were all made up in their 80's get-up - from the long, curly, poofy hair to the snake skin boots - it was pretty amusing. Looked like they walked right off of an old poster. Anyways, I said hello and walked passed them to go in the door. They came in behind me and I noticed they were going into the same hall as I was so I thought I'd be nice and hold the door open. Oh geez. I ended up hitting one of the 80's dudes (found out after looking online that it was the lead singer) and knocking his drink all over his shoes and the floor. I apologized a bunch and headed straight to the room where I cracked up laughing and told Brendon all about it. It was pretty funny.
Day six - woke up early and started off to Arkansas. Out of all the states it was definitely the most beautiful! Before we got to Arkansas, we stopped in Branson, Missouri "just to drive around real quick" - yeah right. Ended up spending two hours there. LOL We took an AmTrak train ride through the Ozarks and WOW! was it breathtaking! Definitely worth the stop.
We finally got into Arkansas and stopped at the Welcome Center to get our free map. The nice lady there talked us into taking the Arkansas Scenic 7 Byway - yes, yet another scenic drive. I am so glad we did though because I have never seen anything like it! We drove right through the Ouachita Mountains and the Ozark National Forest. That drive was worth the extra time and I would recommend it to anyone.
That day (Monday) we reached our destination - Lake DeGray State Park. We got there kinda late (wonder why??LOL) so only had enough time to walk around a bit and go swimming. We stayed there all week and left Friday. This post is already pretty long so I won't go into all the details but we had a blast! We went horseback riding, swimming at the beach, rented a boat and drove around the lake for 2 hours, went on a sunset cruise and took a hay ride on the last night and went to a square dance. That was sooooo much fun!! We had never square danced in our lives and didn't think we'd stay but I think that was the best time we had while we were there.
They are lots of pictures from DeGray for everyone to look at (link at the bottom).
So Friday we left and stayed the night in Houston. Woke up Saturday and drove to Rockport, TX for a family reunion on my Dad's side and stayed till Sunday. I must have the biggest family in the world. LOL I think someone tallied up almost 200 people. We stayed at a resort and had all the cabins but one or two. There were so many people there that on Sunday morning I was STILL seeing people that I hadn't seen all weekend. We had a lot of fun though!!!
I was a little sad to be home but in a way it was kinda nice being back to our regular stuff, like our BED! I love sleeping in my bed after being away for a long time. I still can't get over how much fun we had. I think we will be talking about this trip for a very long time. I'm hooked on road trips now though so I'm hoping we'll be taking another one next year. We'd like to drive to Oregon next time!! Wow - now that's a drive.
Anyway, here's the link for all the pictures. I took over 500 but I weeded through them and posted the best ones. There's still about 250 I think.
(If it doesn't automatically start the slide show, click on "slide show" on the top right corner)
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v23/raving_butterfly/Iowa%20Trip%202009/?albumview=slideshow
Anyway, we had such a wonderful time on our trip. We are definitely going to do a road trip again in the very near future. Brenna was absolutely wonderful the entire time. She's such a great traveler and stays entertained with her DVD player, Nintendo DS and drawing. Never once did we hear, "When are we gonna be there?" or anything like it. I was amazed! LOL
I loved being in the car and seeing all the different states and scenery. We drove through 7 states in 12 days - so as you can see there was LOTS of car time. I was the navigator and spent the whole time with a map in my lap, telling Brendon and Brenna where we were going to be next and pointing out other miscellaneous things (rivers, ect). I took tons of books but never even opened one. I was having too much fun with my maps! At one point I told Brendon that I loved maps and he said he's going to get me a t-shirt that says that. LOL
I really tried getting Brenna interested in all the beautiful landscaping but she just didn't care much. But when we drove through a town and she finally took her nose out of her DS she saw a Pizza Hut and said with all the excitment she had, "Look Mom! They have a Pizza Hut!" Crazy kid.
So let me start at the beginning....
We stayed in Waco the first night (Wednesday) with Aunt Lyn and went to see her beautiful Arabian horses. They are not only pretty but VERY friendly and when we went in the pasture the six that were there all came right up to us and loved on us. Brenna was thrilled. I did forget my camera that time so I never got any pictures. I'm hoping we will be able to go again so I can make up for my mistake. They would have been great pictures.
Second day the destination was Kansas. When we drove through Oklahoma, one of the highlights was taking a small detour and driving on Route 66. I thought that was pretty neat and we found a park to stop and eat lunch at. We took a big ice chest with us and tons of food - saved lots of money that way!
So after we left Route 66 we headed onto Kansas. With me being such a huge Wizard of Oz fan, it was really cool seeing the "Welcome to Kansas" sign. Of course we listened to the soundtrack - how could I not? :) We got to our hotel that night and swam in the pool for a while - that was nice after a long day in the car.
Third day we woke up and packed and drove to Wamego, Kansas - home of the Wizard of Oz Museum and Winery. It was fabulous - better then I had expected. They had so many neat things. One of my favorites was a clay monkey that they actually used in the movie for the scenes with the flying monkeys. I took tons of pictures. We also stopped at the Wizard of Oz Winery and got a few bottles of wine. Once those are empty they will be a nice addition to my collection.
After we left the museum we got back on the road to head to Iowa. We took a small detour (took lots of those actually!) and followed signs that lead us to the Oregon Trail. After a few failed attempts to find a place to stop and eat we finally found a nice park on the Oregon Trail and had lunch. It was neat being someplace that I had only read about as a kid. I borrowed a book from Mieree for Brenna to read about the Oregon Trail. It's a story about two kids so I think she might like it - especially since she has actually been there.
We finally got to Iowa around 9pm and got right in the pool. Something about washing in-the-car-grime off of you is very refreshing!
The next day, Saturday, was Travis and Marrona's wedding. The ceremony was at a park and it was so nice - great weather for an outdoor wedding. We all went to the reception afterwards and Brenna had a fun time dancing on the dance floor with a bunch of other kids. We met Jason's (Brendon's step brother) girl friend and her little boy, Ethan - such wonderful people! Brenna and Ethan really hit it off and spent the whole time together. Angie and I got along great and we are hoping they will come down and visit sometime.
Day five - Sunday. On the road again headed to Springfield, Missouri. When we got into Missouri we decided to take the scenic route through Central Missouri because we thought it would be a lot prettier then just driving along the border of Kansas and Missouri. We were wrong. Not that great for the extra hour or so we spent in the car. It was pretty but not really worth it.
Finally got to Springfield and of course it was straight to the pool. We stayed at the Ramada Oasis and they had a great indoor pool with an atrium.
Funny story here --- After we got to the hotel Brendon said that he heard that there were three bands staying there that night - LA Guns, Great White and Firehouse (all 80's hair bands). I went out to the car real quick at about 9:30 that night to get some stuff and happened to see some guys getting instruments out of a van. They had these stage pass things around their necks that said LA Guns. These other two guys were behind them and they were all made up in their 80's get-up - from the long, curly, poofy hair to the snake skin boots - it was pretty amusing. Looked like they walked right off of an old poster. Anyways, I said hello and walked passed them to go in the door. They came in behind me and I noticed they were going into the same hall as I was so I thought I'd be nice and hold the door open. Oh geez. I ended up hitting one of the 80's dudes (found out after looking online that it was the lead singer) and knocking his drink all over his shoes and the floor. I apologized a bunch and headed straight to the room where I cracked up laughing and told Brendon all about it. It was pretty funny.
Day six - woke up early and started off to Arkansas. Out of all the states it was definitely the most beautiful! Before we got to Arkansas, we stopped in Branson, Missouri "just to drive around real quick" - yeah right. Ended up spending two hours there. LOL We took an AmTrak train ride through the Ozarks and WOW! was it breathtaking! Definitely worth the stop.
We finally got into Arkansas and stopped at the Welcome Center to get our free map. The nice lady there talked us into taking the Arkansas Scenic 7 Byway - yes, yet another scenic drive. I am so glad we did though because I have never seen anything like it! We drove right through the Ouachita Mountains and the Ozark National Forest. That drive was worth the extra time and I would recommend it to anyone.
That day (Monday) we reached our destination - Lake DeGray State Park. We got there kinda late (wonder why??LOL) so only had enough time to walk around a bit and go swimming. We stayed there all week and left Friday. This post is already pretty long so I won't go into all the details but we had a blast! We went horseback riding, swimming at the beach, rented a boat and drove around the lake for 2 hours, went on a sunset cruise and took a hay ride on the last night and went to a square dance. That was sooooo much fun!! We had never square danced in our lives and didn't think we'd stay but I think that was the best time we had while we were there.
They are lots of pictures from DeGray for everyone to look at (link at the bottom).
So Friday we left and stayed the night in Houston. Woke up Saturday and drove to Rockport, TX for a family reunion on my Dad's side and stayed till Sunday. I must have the biggest family in the world. LOL I think someone tallied up almost 200 people. We stayed at a resort and had all the cabins but one or two. There were so many people there that on Sunday morning I was STILL seeing people that I hadn't seen all weekend. We had a lot of fun though!!!
I was a little sad to be home but in a way it was kinda nice being back to our regular stuff, like our BED! I love sleeping in my bed after being away for a long time. I still can't get over how much fun we had. I think we will be talking about this trip for a very long time. I'm hooked on road trips now though so I'm hoping we'll be taking another one next year. We'd like to drive to Oregon next time!! Wow - now that's a drive.
Anyway, here's the link for all the pictures. I took over 500 but I weeded through them and posted the best ones. There's still about 250 I think.
(If it doesn't automatically start the slide show, click on "slide show" on the top right corner)
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v23/raving_butterfly/Iowa%20Trip%202009/?albumview=slideshow
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
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