Busy Life

I won't be blogging for about a week. Summer Camp. We just got back from a visit to my wife's parents. Jr. had an opportunity to work on a merit badge and I had a chance to spend some time with my wife, it was nice. We mostly shopped, shopped for the thing that we need, just did it together this time. Had some great Chinese food (no MSG).

Today, Jr. and I finished the last remaining requirement for his merit badge, Mammal Study, we also ran a few errands so in the morning we can start packing for summer camp. It will be a hot week.

I've been trying to make sure all the household chores are finished. My wife will have a busy week, a woman from church will come to parent night with her to visit us, then her sister comes with my niece for a few days. Should be some great girl time. My wife doesn't get much of that, with us boys around.

I'm praying that this week will go great and that I will have some great memories and some great stories.

Is it Clean?

Yesterday our adventures took us to the Georgia Mountain Fair. Jr. and I figured it was time for a little “mommy maintenance” since he will be at summer camp next week and then at his grandparents the week after.

So we headed out real early and had a great breakfast at this little diner. Then off to the fair, we walked around and saw the old building and at one point stopped in the quilting barn, had a great conversation with two widow ladies. They were sisters and they married brothers. Wow, that does not happen too often. We spent the rest of the morning looking at crafts and such.

We walked up to the music hall and saw a few “cloggers” putting on a show. Just after lunch time we decided that since we had our apple butter, kettle popcorn and blackberry honey it was time to head toward home.

My sweet bride suggested that we take a ride over to a neighboring town, known for the authentic German styled buildings in town. As we soon found out it was not such a great idea.

Traffic was back-up about a mile out of town, it seemed as though everyone had the same idea we had that day. We soon discovered the reason, tubing, river tubing. It really is more like creek tubing, because the creek hasn’t had much water in it and you get to wade through some areas. But it is really a fun day, and for a lot of people it must have been a fun day.

As the dully appointed guardian and protector of my family it’s my job to make sure that we stay safe. I make that statement because just as sure as something come our way, such as traffic, one of our little clan has to use the bathroom, and it must be clean, or at least close.

Our first attempt was at a little “general store”, there was a line, a long line. So we decided we could wait and hopped back into the car. Having been to this little town before I decided to use the back road to avoid some traffic; it kind of worked. We were only five cars from the intersection to turn. We attempted to go to another location that I was sure had a bathroom; however, it was the one place that all the visitors were headed.

At last I had a plan; just outside of town was a winery that we had stopped at from time to time. I pointed the jeep that way and off we went. The traffic was non-existent leaving the little town so we had no trouble. We parked outside the winery and acted like it was our real reason for stopping.

Upon entering we located the bathroom sign and again, continued to act as though we were admiring the interior adornments, except Jr., he really had to go.

So our next plan is to start compiling a list of the southeast’s cleanest and family friendliest bathrooms, since we seem to check most of them. I think that book would sell!

Books, Books, Books

Last night I finished another Clive Cussler novel, something I would not have read if my wife and son had not bought me one of his books for Christmas a few years ago. Now I’m on a quest to read all of his books. But at the same time I want to make sure that I read other material too, not just novels.

Our house is small, and mostly filled with books. Books everywhere, four very large book cases, all full, full to the point that we have started stacking in front of the books already in on the shelves. End tables in the living room contain book even new books we need to find a place for. Dining table chair has a pile of books recently pick out at the library. My son’s reading chair has a pile of books. Our school room has a spare bed and a bookshelf for a headboard, it is full of books. My wife has a small pile next to the bed along with an old end table that her granddad had that is full of books. There is even a book in our bathroom. Not all the books are books we have read, some waiting to be read, and they surely will. Some day I hope to have room just for all our books. Will be the size of a barn, the way things are going.

Now I face the challenge that comes with finishing a great book. Picking the next book to read, I have plenty to choose from. We can never seem to pass by a book store or thrift store without a quick look at the books, the other day I found a place and came home with eight books for seven dollars. I love a bargain!

When it comes to the next book, it’s a matter of which category do I choose from. Right now I’m thinking history . . . now, where is that book about letters home from WWII?

Kitten Recovery

Our kitten has recovered.
At 4:30 am I was a little worried when I checked on him (we now know), thought he was dead! Didn't look like he was breathing.
But about 7:30 he was eating. We've put him back outside with the rest of the critters. Now the hard task of finding homes for the females!

Kitten

We are Doctoring one of our Kittens this evening. Moma cat had 6 kittens 12 weeks ago. Two days ago three of them seem to have injuries, so we quarantined them and then today one turned up all lethargic. I'm figuring dehydration. So we have been putting fluids into him/her (we need to figure that out) and now he/she in the laundry basket in Jr's room, sleeping. So if you get a chance, say a prayer of our little furry kitten. Jr has such a tender heart for animals.

I looked up kitten gender - we will check them in the AM

Backpack

My new backpack. A Deuter ACT Lite 65+10



Picked it up today. I am really excited and ready to plan a trip to the wilds! Jr. Also received his hammock today - he has been looking forward to getting it too, now he doesn't have to carry his tent in the summer months.

AH - the Great Outdoors!

Listening

I was thinking today as I was trying to organize my thoughts about this or that, at the same time trying to be sure to listen to what Jr. was saying.

I was thinking that I need to continue to be patient. Continue to make a concentrated effort every day to engage Jr. and to listen about his latest Lego creation or about the book he is reading.

It isn’t always easy to stop and listen, but it is worth it.

Stretching the Budget

Being the At-Home-Dad, one of my more enjoyable tasks is the grocery shopping. For the past few months my bride has been planning our dinner menu, so we eat out less and to help us save more money to take big vacation this year, she likes to do that sort of thing. So far the planning is paying off; she has been planning a few weeks out at a time. She plans and I shop.

Yesterday, Jr. and I had to run errands one of which was grocery shopping, mom is on 2nd shift this week so we waited until later in the day. But before the groceries I wanted to try and locate a DVD. We really wanted to locate an old Hogan’s Heroes, knowing that most of the stores probably would not care it we thought that maybe the Wal-Mart might carry it. Now I’ve been a Non-Wal-Mart person for a long time. Being the main shopper in the family, in the past I found most of the stores to be sloppy and well, just plain uninviting.

My trip yesterday was met with a new curiosity, we entered the store and found that the isle were no longer so close together that you had to walk sideways, there was actually room to walk around, the shelves were neat and clean, nothing in the isle to trip over. We went to the movie section, but we didn’t find what we came for, but we did find a few five dollar classics. So it seems maybe they have changed a few things. For the most part we shop at Target for household items, but maybe it’s time to give the WalleyWorld another look for some of our household goods.

As far as groceries are concerned, I don’t think I would be willing to change. A few years ago a fellow homeschooler told us about Aldi’s. We went and checked it out. We even used to drive about 30 minutes just to get to the store, until they built one in our town. But it really is a budget friendly store, with about 700 main everyday grocery items. Our routine is to get a large portion of our groceries there and then head to Publix for the remaining items on our list. My only caution, from the experience side of things is that you have to watch the produce. Other than that I’ve not ever had a problem with any of the products. When you’re a single income family, saving money is important, real important.

Better than a Video Game

Well I made it back from the wilds. My son’s Troop had a leadership campout. Just a one night and a day hike. It was a great weekend all the boys (5) got along great; we didn’t have a single testosterone moment.

We arrived late in the afternoon and once we figured out, with the help of the ranger, where we need to set up camp the boys managed to find a make shift seesaw. It was basically a stump and a log. They worked at it for a while; I finally had to make a suggestion that they notch the stump, giving the log a more secure place to rest. Fortunately one of the boys was “prepared” and brought a hatchet. They worked it out and managed to get the notch in the stump. For longer than I kept track these young men of 12 & 13 had a blast with a simple lever. After a while one of the other scoutmasters came up to me and said, “This is way better than a video game.”. Being in the outdoors is by far the greatest thing my son and I enjoy about Boy Scouts and the time that we have spent together has been a real investment in our father son experience.

The next morning we proceeded to get things pack up so we could do our day hike. Now I have to say that we have never hiked this trail before, so there was a little element of the unknown. I have maps, of the park and what I thought was the position of the trail head and the end of the trail. The night before we had figured out that it would take us 30 minutes each way to place a vehicle at the end of the trail. We headed out, and the GPS took us down this one lane gravel road that I thought I may have heard banjo music on, but after we place the vehicle we headed back to the park to start our hike.

Well it turned out that we walked by the trail head, with all the boys talking and caring on, along with us dad’s we pass it. Of course I would like to point out that in Boy Scouts it is supposed to be boy led. But, eventually we figured out the trail and headed out.

The trail was really well marked (once we found it) and one of boys had a steady pace. We managed to find a number of signs of wildlife, even a bear track. Thankfully, the bear was not around.

We took a side trail to a water fall, it was beautiful. Once we reached the end of the trail we had another surprise, the truck was not there. It was about ½ mile away. The boys, had a laugh, so did we, but to tell you the truth we really can figure out what went wrong. All I know is that maybe now I can get one of those trail GPS’s. Nah, that would take the fun out of it.

Getting In Shape

Set a goal for myself, of course at the moment it is a sliding goal, by that I mean that I will probably move the time table a time or two. My 40th birthday will be this October. My goal is to run a 5K, just over 3 miles. Not a big goal, but after years of just barely keeping in shape and with the real need to loose about 15 pounds I’m a little motivated. At least until after supper and the cookies start calling me, by name!

I started exercising more seriously in mid May, because in June my son and I did a 10 mile hike with another Boy Scout Troop. Needed to get ready for it, I really was thankful that the ground was flat on that hike. But that was walking.

About two weeks ago I came across a training schedule for working your way up to a 5K, it was basically a walk & run routine, with increasing times for both. Yesterday was missed, but worth it for a fun family day. I find for me the best time to exercise is just after I get up, otherwise I find a laundry list of chores and excuses to get in the way.

Today, I headed for the local track with excuses running around in my head. But I managed to put the Jeep in park and get out, always an important first step. I started with a walk. I carry a stop watch to keep up with the time between walk and run. Before I knew it my 5 minute warm up passed and it was time to start with a jog. So I did, my MP3 player in my ear, it used to be a tape player years ago.

Then, it happened, my body decided that it would like to acknowledge all the years of abuse and punishment I’ve inflicted upon it. My legs hurt instantly, my feet hurt, my, well you get the picture. Somehow I managed to ignore the pain, remembering someone older than me saying “you’ll get used to it”. Thinking that I bet I won't.

I did finish, so tomorrow I’m having the day off. Just in time for a Hike on Saturday with the Troop. Just a light hike, only about 3.4 miles, with a 1000 ft elevation change, YIKES! So, this time tomorrow night I’ll be in the night air facing my next challenge, and conquering it.

Zoo

Well we did it - we skipped school today. It was really needed; our school schedule this year has been very different from past years. But the main reason that we did it was because we all needed a break. The other day was so eventful that I have not been able to compose anything about it; I’ve tried, but trashed both potential posts. Reason being, they had nothing uplifting in them at all, mostly just rants. They were about life, the tough stuff we all go though, just compressed into one day!

So, I got up this morning and made breakfast (pancakes, bacon & coffee), my bride packed us a lunch and we headed out to the Zoo. The local Zoo is very small, only takes about an hour and a half to walk around, but it is a nice zoo and we have been going to it since Jr. very young. Just before I became an At-Home-Dad, I had called in a time or two and Jr. and I had a great father-son outing.

The Giraffe is the newest exhibit. We arrived just before opening and reminisce about the “old days”, when we came to the zoo, took notice of the new playground equipment. Once the gates opened we made our way up to the ticket counter along with the gaggles of pre-school children and a number of mommies on a morning outing.

Once through the gate we made our way around, having a great time, just being a family. One of the most memorable events of the day was just a simple trip to the restroom. Because the gates had just opened the turn off to the bathroom was not being traveled, with our drive and coffee with breakfast we warranted a pit stop. So, we made our way, the Chipmunks must have been on morning maneuvers or just exercising. Back and forth they went; five is the best we could make out. Crossing the walkway and jumping up the retaining walls and under the fences. It really was a comical sight. At one point Jr. and I laughed because one chipmunk used a three inch storm drain as an escalator. Up it went and then right back down, and there we stood all three of us, with the some of worlds most exotic animals around us, mesmerized by a few lost cousins of Chip & Dale!

On our way home after an outing, movie or any family thing, we usually try to talk about our favorites and our least favorites. We always end up with a bunch of things to talk about, and it does from time to time present those “teachable moments”, that we are supposed to use. Today was all good, first was the chipmunks the second was the baby orangutan rolling around in a sheet. I’ll have to share that another time.

Essay on the SEARCHER-09

This is Jr.'s essay - I sure hope he wins the gift card from Lego - would really be more like a rebate for all the money they have collected from us over the years!

Essay on the SEARCHER-09
My entry is a gunship to help Anakin and Ahsoka to find R2-D2, rescue him from the Assassin Droids, and get him back. Firstly my entry is a gunship from the clone special forces, it is heavily armed with multiple weapons and rockets.

It has 17 main weapons, and 2 secondary weapons. The 17 main weapons are 10 flick rockets, 2 light cannons, 4 medium cannons, and a very large proton torpedo launcher. The secondary weapons are 2 flame throwers that can burn passing enemy ships to a cinder in seconds. It also has 2 shield generators that covers the whole ship in a protective oval.

The engine has 1,000,000 lb. of thrust which takes the gunship up to speeds of 675 mph. the wings can take a whole lot of punishment or damage. the structure is built so that it can crash at up to speeds of 600 mph. with medium damage. It can go for
1 month before refueling, rearming, and maintenance in very sever combat. It holds up to 12 men and their guns on the gun rack.

In conclusion Anakin and Ahsoka would benefit from this ship, its crew, and its technology that’s perfect for the job.

Good job Jr.

Classic Disney Family Films

"The Wonderful World Of Disney", do you remember the announcers voice? Mr. Walt Disney in front of the camera talking about the latest project, or the show itself. I remember looking forward to seeing it on TV, I believe it was on Sunday nights when I was growing up.

Those days are really over, just about 3 years ago we turned off the satellite and subscribed to Netflix, it has been nice to avoid the crazy commercials that repeat and what I would call the game-show mentality and reality viewing. On top of that it is an insult to ones intelligence some of the stuff that is on these days. As for me I like to be entertained, that is for sure, I also like to watch something that does not have to be explained. Sure there are some movies from the 60's that really seem to defy explanation, but for the most part some of the older stuff isn't to bad.

The tuff thing is making sure that we dads (moms too) help our children make good choices in viewing. Recently, Jr. was very upset with the release of the new Transformers movie. The reviews from multiple sources gave the opinion that it was a lot more "Hollywood" for a second movie. He asked me why they just can't make a good movie, that’s a very good question. Family friendly movies make a ton of money at the theater. They always mess up a sequel, the first one is good, your hooked and then, well we have to see the next one, which is usually worse in content and language than the first. A lot of parents don’t look at reviews; they trust others to do their job. Some times there is a lesson for a family to discuss, to be sure, but for the most part children and young adults are with friends, not parents. The lesson is that we dads need to be aware of what our child sees.

I used to be in the printing world and we had a saying that applies here. It was "garbage in garbage out", basically what comes in can't always be improved. Same applies with children, what they see (garbage) is what comes out.

For family friendly reviews that you can trust check out http://www.pluggedinonline.com/

Lego Creations

Have you heard about the latest Lego contest? Well from what Jr. tells me you have a 1 in 5 chance of winning a $100 gift card for Lego’s, if you submit a Lego creation.

This all started the day before yesterday when the mail arrived and the latest “Brick Master” magazine from Lego arrived. Jr. read it cover to cover in one sitting, like always, and then he announced that he was going to create something for the contest. Off to his room he went, some time later, when it was time for bed, he showed me what he had created. Impressive, it was actually two creations. I figured it was the end of it. We would take some photos and he would send them off.

The next morning he said that he had decided that he needed to create something bigger and better. So he worked hard at his school work (we have already started the new school year, more some other time), finished and once again headed to his room. Only this time he worked for a very long time, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he work at least 3 hours on this new creation. Incredible detail as you can see by the photos. We took some photos, and then we drove into town to print them out this afternoon. Tomorrow after his school work is finished he is planning on doing the writing portion of the contest, apparently he has to submit a 200 word essay on his creation.

He loves to work with his Lego, I must say that it is a challenge for me to sit down with him and create something; I do try from time to time, it really is quality time. I remember once I created an entire arctic mobile, it was kind of like an arctic RV, even had a bathroom. The entire thing was white, except for the tires of course. I was very impressed with my own creation, the next day he had “modified” it. I had some Lego’s as a kid - but I always came up short on the roof pieces! I know Jr. has thousands of pieces, not to long ago we spent most of the day sorting them into different boxes, hoping that it would result in making it easier to find specific pieces. This we learned from his involvement in Lego League this past spring.

I will most likely post his essay here too.

Joy

Have you ever witnessed joy? Surely you know the type I’m talking about; when you see it you can’t help but smile. I was out yesterday doing some grocery shopping and was by myself, which does not happen too often, I was fortunate to witness joy. It was just a moment in my day, didn’t take long, but it stuck with me. There have been many times that I have been able to witness joy, this time it was from a perfect stranger, someone I have never seen before and don’t even know.

Here is how it went. I was just about to get into the check out line, and I was going over my list to make sure I had gotten everything, when from behind me I heard a high pitched girly scream. I turned to see what was going on and where it was coming from, up the isle I could see this little blonde headed girl, only about 3 ft tall she was jumping up and down looking at her father and pointing at a large box and expressing her joy at watermelons. Yep, she was so joyful that they had watermelons in the store that she could not contain herself. I was very thankful that she could not contain herself. It was a moment that allowed me to reflect on many occasions that I have witnessed joy in my own family. Not to say it’s all perfect, but there have been many times that genuine joy has broken out in our home and what a wonderful site.

An environment that fosters true expression of the heart is a challenge, as fathers we are looked to for approval during our child’s life. From the small Lego creation to the winning score or even the hard worked for grade. Our ability to strengthen our relationship with our family can be joyful, not always of course, but joy should be a part of our home, and it is another one of things that I am always working to improve. Proverbs 17:22 “A joyful heart is good medicine . . . “