Girl Scout movie day

Today we (the girls and I) went to see The Princess and the Frog with other scouts in our service unit. At $5 per person, including popcorn and drink, its a price you can't beat. The movie was great and we all agree that we would definately go and see it again, in fact I want to find the soundtrack!! I love New Orleans music. It was great to see so many of our girls at the movie too, I just wish I had gotten more of the older troop there, they really would have liked it. Oh well, what can you do with 7-9 graders.

Christmas is gone... now to relax for a few days

Ya right, who am I kidding, I don't relax!

Christmas this year was really fun. The kids got the stuff the asked for, I get a new coffee pot (single cup style) and Jman got to play poker twice.

The biggest thing though was the fact that we got a used PS3 and the kids used their giftcards to get a guitar and GH world tour game. I think we've only had about 6 hours of silent since they went shopping yesterday they love the game so much!

Me, I love the new coffee pot. It may be 50 cents a cup but the coffee is better then at a shop and I don't have to drive anywhere.

Another great weekend at camp

We just finished another great weekend at Camp Timberlane. We had our service unit campout last weekend and it was perfect weather!! No real rain during the day. The clouds waited until about midnight both nights so we could use the observatory. We had a nearly full moon for the night hikes. Oh and did I mention that the food was great?!

So I was in charge of the observatory and I helped out at archery. The latter I won't comment on, but the observatory???? WOW!! We looked at Jupiter and 4 of its moons, Andromeda (M31), a planetary nebula (M15), Lagoon Nebula (M8), and others that I tried and couldn’t get to look good. Totally forgot M57, M44 but that's what I get for not remembering my star chart and going by memory!

Nothing to report

Life has been nothing if not busy since our return.

caching in Germany

Well I'm trying to get this cache that's by my sister's house. Its a multi cache which means it has many steps to getting to the final cache.

This is the link to the cache, http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=5d9e14e8-de16-4e51-b5c7-71ddf8511c5f goes by the name of Dülmen Bahnof.

Here are some of the pictures from walking around the station... Opps don't have those loaded yet. Be back soon.

why do people think stupid?

I haven't seen J in 4 weeks. I will be getting home to stay overnight at a friend's house, then off to the condo in Destin where this same friend and his family will join us the next day for the WHOLE week. I get less the 24 hours of being with Jman before I have to share him not just with the rest of his family, but now with his friend and their family, all in 1 condo!! 9 people, 600 square feet of living space, 7 days. After living with Ali and family for a month I was looking forward to some space with Jman and the kids alone. Now all I want to do when I get to the states is drive straight to Ohio and forget about the Florida stay!

UGH!!!

night time sucks

I hate it at night.

I remember that he's 4000 miles away.

How do people handle longdistance relationships?

Sad to say he doesn't seem to feel the same way.

Missing You

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/saraevans/noplacethatfar.html

Yep I'm stuck there.

To the ZOO! To the ZOO!

Yesterday was the big zoo trip.

Lots to see and do, of course the kids liked the playgrounds the best!

My favorite part.. ok one of my favorite parts was that we not only got to see the elephants (the ones at the Cleveland Zoo are gone for the next 2 years), we got to FEED them. Totally cool and awsome and neat and... well you get the idea.

Yes that is my little lady there giving an elephant a bit of apple and petting it's trunk.

Did you notice that there is no cage or fencing here? These are free birds! Totally cool concept!

OMG I am such a nut!

it starts with me telling Ali that we need to start planning a weekly menu so that we can actually know what we're going to eat instead of flying by the seats of our pants. Yes me the planning queen of the family, the organizational guru of the county was finally done with this laid back style of household life. I just couldn't take it anymore.... So what did I do you ask... We I started by looking at what was in the freezer and the food pantry. Then I look at the little frig and fresh produce. I come up with a somewhat good idea of what we can do. Now I look at Ali and ask what she thinks.... I'm not cooking tonight so it's whatever you and A-man want to do.... OK switch gears.... How about pizza tonight.... We have to use up the apples.... pie? No... Homemade applesauce? Yes... now to find the recipe.

She's got lots of great stuff in the freezer and pantry but since I can't make heads or tails of most of the German language I can't really make a full plan here..... OK, give this idea up for now... We'll just continue to work on a day to day basis.... Oh all right my heart just isn't into it since I know I have the menu and recipes at home and I'm willing to just wait for J-man to email them to me!

On to organizing.... I've been doing this little by little every day really. Of course it's right back to the way it was about 5 minutes later with all the kids running around. At least we've gotten to the point that the boys will clean up their toys before going to something else. On a good note I've been able to make my bed each day since there's never anyone else sleeping in it by the time I'm up and dressed in the morning. I even keep the cloths put away and such.... even with all little man's legos everywhere. I do have the boys keeping their room clean too with them even putting the toys into the right bins, something that little man is still learning at home.

Museum fun and games... and fun

Pics from the museum visit.

The kids had a great time looking at all the different stuff from the wall of bugs to the time line style of skulls. Me.... I liked the hall of cats and the space stuff. My nephew couldn't get enough of the dinosaurs and little man loved everything, had to keep telling him not to run.

Has it really been a week already?

It seems like time just isn't the same here. Maybe it's because the sun is up from 5am to 10pm and that doesn't include dusk or dawn... Maybe it's because there's just nothing that I have to do... I can just relax and go with the flow, no running for scouts or work.



In any case it's been great. We went raspberry picking and had a wonderful pie that Alice made from it. We went to the Natural History Museum and saw lots. We went to a local castle and had fun playing with all the stuff.



There there's this...

Doesn't she just look so bored? That was the complant that the kids gave when they weren't doing something every single second. So we let them paint the window one day. (Thus the weird stuff on the window) and have a water fight with the hose another day.

Have fun storming the castle

I just had to say that.

Here are some pics from the castle visit.

day one all done

sun's coming up now. been in Germany just under 24 hours. Got off the plane and got the visas, nice and easy. Got the bags, little harder, got to the car and off to Ali's. Nothing much to report... Gave out gifts, had lunch and dinner (or breakfast and lunch however you look at it). I'm learning to type with a German keyboard, I know I can switch it over but I won't remember to switch it back so I'm trying to remember to switch z and y and that the shift isn't in the same spot.
The boys played for hours - legos, Bob the Builder, running outside. Everyone got to hold the baby. Hope to get some pics today, yesterdaz was just too busy saying hi and talking.

Paintballing

I just have to share a few photos, I may talk later.





















Oh and check out Alex's blog, she got a nasty one in the neck!

The dawning of a new age...

Well today was very eventful. We started out slow but got moving by lunchtime.

Our first stop... CVS for passport photos. Yes that's right we are getting the photos done so we can order the kids books.

Stop 2... Work... Nothing big, the kids played, I painted and hung out.

Stop 3a... Jeremy called and I had to have him stop at home for the SS# and birth certificates.

Stop 3... Post office to order the books. Can Jeremy leave now, he has to go to work? Just a minute (It's now been 40 minutes into his 1 hour lunch)... sign here, here, and here. Ok he leaves.

Stop 3b... Still at the post office... the photos are the wrong size. Do you want to come back Saturday or Monday with corrected photos? (Can you see where this is going?) We pay for everything and make arrangments.

Stop 4... CVS... I need replacement photos... Ok... Retake pictures... Machine goes done... Reboot machine... 1 photo is good... Machine is SSSSSLLLLLLOOOOOOWWWWWWW! 45 minutes later we have the second set done and are out the door.

Stop 5... Home for dinner.... Wish this wasn't a preshow for the weekend!

Such is the life with 3 children! Never a dull moment and always somewhere to go!

Julie

PVC Camp Gear

I was looking for an outdoor wash station for the scouts today and came across this great site. I thought... this is GREAT, we can build this stuff, and store it easily. And the best part is it's lightweight so the girls can actually set up without help!

Here's the link to their site. Perfectly Versatile Campsite

back to scouts

I recently made a list of everything that they have done this year... it's a lot of service and program aide work! Every event we've tried to have with either the SU or council where they weren't working, has fallen through. The mall lockin was canceled. Kalahari they didn't want since it included boys (no leader for the lockin either) We've had 2 campouts but both were working camps no just having fun the whole time. Really the Wizard of Oz has been the only real for FUN only activity these girls have had all year.
I'm pushing them to go to hershey, PA this June for a camp-o-ree. It's 6 hours away, most of these girls haven't been more then 1/2 hour from home, but I really think that they'll have a great time! AM I nuts? We're talking on the ground tents and campfire cooking.

Oh and I'm really, really hoping that the other troop that our is level decide to come and join us and that we do get to go to this camp-o-ree. I think it would be a great way for the girls to hangout and have fun!!

The problem that I see... what do we do if the girls just won't go that far from home? I really don't want to do Cedar Point since it is so close to home. I wanted to get the girls out somewhere they hadn't been or was at least a full tank of gas in each direction. Any ideas? Oh and it has to be FUN!!

What a month!

Where to start... Lots of scout stuff, work stuff, family stuff.

The big news is my sister had her baby!! YAH!!! Both are healthy and doing well. So I now have a new baby neice!! Can't wait to meet her (hoping to make it to Germany this summer!!)

Let see... The foot is all better. She's now had 2 casts and 4 broken bones in 4 months.

It's cookie time again... Thankfully our troop drop down to only doing 5 booths this year. They've only sold about 75 cases but I'm not worried about it since we aren't planning any big trips like the junior troop.

Oh... LCCC caught on fire a few weeks ago. i think you can find some info at the following blog... http://evileyecafe.blogspot.com/

Last week we went to see the Wizard of Oz at the Lorain Palace. It was really good, Open Door School was putting it on. Next play in town is Grease, which I LOVE and can't wait to see how the high school does with it.

Little man turns 7 tomorrow. We're baking tonight.

I can't believe it's broken

Ok so Wednesday big A goes to dance class (moved from Monday for the holiday) and she comes home and decides to practice in her socks on our hardwood floor. BOOM, AAAHHHHGGGG!, sobbing... what's wrong? I run in and she's on the floor crying and can't walk. We move her to the couch and check it out. Not swelling, no bones sticking out. Ok so we ice it and send her to bed. Thursday she's walking, sort of, on it so we send her to school. She's still complaining after school so we schedule a doc appointment for Friday.

Still thinking it's a sprain I have her leave her stuff at school, we'd be back soon right? Nope... doc orders x-rays, and when the tech comes to talk to us she's got the travel envelope, oh no, I've been a bad mommy! Off to the ortho for a cast and 4 hours later we finally make it to the in-laws to get the rest of the kids. Ya we were at the doc offices for so long all her stuff is still at school, and my MIL had to get the kids for me.

So her cast is purple (love the color) they let her keep her toes open (originally they were going to cover them!). She's got to keep it on for 4 weeks. We had a scout program that night so I had to call the other adults that I was working with and let them know we'd be late. She decided that she wasn't going to let this stop her from going either since the program was inside.

A little cast never stopped anyone... Of course being that this is the second cast in 2 months... I'm wondering if she's going to take after her father and break a bone or 3 in every limb!

No school!

It's so cold here...


How cold is it you ask...

Try -8 without the wind! Can't remember the last time it was that cold around here. We get lots of snow but this is ridiculously cold, it's -27 with the wind... step outside for even a second and you freeze! UGH!

The kids are happy since with school being canceled yesterday they get a 5 day weekend.

Now to find something to do in the house before they drive me crazy...

Quiet time

Stayed at the in laws last night... Woke at 6am to them moving around, man are they early risers! I'm home now and it's quiet... no one here to interrupt me or anything. Which means I can finally get to a recap of what's been happening around here.

To start with Ali is home with her family and doing well. Still preg., still stable, still praying for a full term, healthy baby.

The oldest is dancing again. She's started back this past fall, just a jazz class with her sister. Now she's in jazz 4 with girls her age and loving it. It's non-competitive with is exactly what she wanted. The last studio we were at she was in 3 classes and 2 competition classes plus the competition schedule and she got to the point of hating dance, so we quit. Having her back in just 1 class and loving it is so great to see. She's doing well in school and enjoying scouts. She has a training session tonight to learn how to help run the new telescope we have at camp. I'm just glad to see her still being a child and not growing up too fast!

The younger daughter has decided that dance isn't for her. She's now taking ice skating lessons. Her first class was last week and she was having a great time... that is until she sort of ran into the wall/fell into the wall and did the splits. After that she was done for the day. I was just getting ready to take a picture too. I asked her if she wanted to go back this week and she said YES!! she loved it, even if it does hurt to fall. I may have to go and get her some skates of her own soon. We'll see what happens. She's doing great in school. Her scout troop is planning a New York trip this summer. It's a big trip without parents, just the leaders. I'm not sure I'm ready for this.

On to little man. What can I say about him... His doing well in school grade-wise, now to get him to stay out of trouble. He's getting bored in class and acts out for something to do. We're working on it, it's just taking time. He's in scouts too, tiger cub. Doing well there, he wants to earn all the belt loops and such I keep telling him one at a time, slow down... I think he really only has 2 speeds really fast and sleep!

This is a pic of him playing Joseph in the Christmas play. He just had to wear all his tools and bring his woodwork so he would "look like a real carpenter".

Speaking of Christmas the kids have been having lots of fun with their gifts. The oldest and youngest both got bikes that they decided to try out by riding in the house (don't ask, I'm not sure what happened to my brain at that point) and the little lady got her DS she'd been asking for. The in laws (God love them!) got the kids a Wii (with 3 controllers!) and thankfully the kids have all been playing nice with it. Can't get on it much when their home, lost the use of the tv when they want to play, but at least they aren't fighting.

She's home!

Thanks everyone for the prayers. Ali is home for now and doing well.