Our family loves to camp - in our camper of course. This year with our Disney vacation falling when it did we've only managed to go on two camping trips so far. This past weekend we spent a few nights at Rock Island state park. Since we'd never been there before we weren't sure what to expect. Well, I can honestly say Rock Island is beautiful - and HOT and HUMID in the summer.
The whole family was looking forward to this trip since we hadn't been camping since April - highly unusual for us. After a pleasant trip to the campground we checked in at the front office. There were lots of activities planned for the weekend and the kids wanted to participate in most of them. After setting up the camper we went to the first activity - making animal footprints. Princess made a new friend at the activity. We headed back to our campsite and the kids and T changed into swimsuits while I waited around to sign up for canoeing the next day (limited spots available - signup sheet to be posted in an hour or so). The kids cooled off in some beautiful waterfalls along the side of a hill. They were fairly small falls scattered along the hillside so that you could wade through them and even get underneath a few of them. We ate supper - which no one was very interested in because we were so HOT. Finally signed up for the canoeing - Yeah!.
The next day dawned HOT and HUMID. T was sweating while he cooked breakfast outside. Princess didn't want to go out because she was afraid she would get cold - not this trip sweetheart! Canoe trip was at 10 am. It was lots of fun - saw more waterfalls. Watched one couple tip their canoe twice. Miss Bee ended up with an asthma attack at the end of the trip because she got so hot paddling her canoe. The kids caught minnows in the lake while Miss Bee and T went back to the campsite for her inhaler. We ate an early-ish supper and discovered an idyllic pool of water known locally as "the warm hole" where we swam for an hour or so. We had to get back for the bat show at camp but promised ourselves we would return the next day. The bat show was fun, but there were no bats out since it was so HOT and HUMID. Apparently bats don't like heat either.
By the third day T was tired of sweating while making breakfast, but what could we do? We decided to spend at least part of the day in the water, so we packed a picnic lunch and headed back to the warm hole (I really think they could've come up with a better name for such a beautiful place). We swam, laughed at Miss Bee when she wouldn't get in the water because it had fish and crawldads in it, swam some more and ate lunch. After lunch Miss Bee learned she loved to snorkle in the water where she could watch fish. The warm hole is part of a river but is set apart from the main body of river so that it forms a calm pool of water like a lake (but not gross like lake water). Great for snorkeling. We were at the warm hole for about three hours and for most of that time we had the area all to our selves. So unlike the Smokies where you almost literally trip over people wherever you go. We hiked about half a mile to get to the pool, but it was well worth it.
That evening no one felt like eating supper because it was so HOT and HUMID, so we took off for Dairy Queen about 20 minutes away (thank you gps). On the way back we stopped at a little castle-like structure inside the park. It was an old water reservoir system from CCC days - so cute! We also walked to an overlook where we could see what was on the other side of our idyllic pool that we loved - it was a huge waterfall! We could hear the waterfall from the warm hole, but to get to it required climbing up a steep rock face - and the kids just weren't ready for that. (And as far as I'm concerned they never will be)
By the fourth day we were so tired of the HEAT and HUMIDITY we decided to just pack up and leave. Bottom line - we had a great time but won't return to Rock Island in summer any time soon.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Dragons on the Stove
Big Man is currently going through a stage where he's fascinated with dinosaurs and dragons. One day he informed me that his dragon lives in the kitchen. Huh? "Yes, Mom! My dragon lives in the stove." Apparently his dragon does indeed live in the stove and comes out when I cook. Especially when I boil water or any other substance that produces lots of steam. I was cooking the other day and Big Man walked into the kitchen. He was sooo excited when he looked at the stove. "The dragon's back, Mom!" He will pull up a stool as close to the stove as I will allow him (which isn't close) and sit and watch his dragon. He loves it when I remove the lid from a pot of boiling water and allow a huge cloud of steam to escape. That's when the dragon is really mad.
The dragon also makes appearances on camping trips. He is the source of all campfires. Big Man loves campfires (what boy doesn't - including Big Man's daddy) and is thrilled when the dragon roasts his marshmallows.
I wonder if he'll be as fascinated with cooking when he gets old enough to help? Maybe if I convince him the dragon is doing all the work. Or maybe not...
The dragon also makes appearances on camping trips. He is the source of all campfires. Big Man loves campfires (what boy doesn't - including Big Man's daddy) and is thrilled when the dragon roasts his marshmallows.
I wonder if he'll be as fascinated with cooking when he gets old enough to help? Maybe if I convince him the dragon is doing all the work. Or maybe not...
Friday, June 12, 2009
Princess and the Play
Since the day she was born my red-headed Princess has kept me on my toes. Among her more notable exploits as a toddler were the potential careers she tried out:
1. Plumber - at age two she took the back off the commode and pulled the hose that fills the tank out of its moorings. When I walked by the bathroom (thankfully only a few minutes later) I saw a jet of water spurting through the air.
2. Cook - Also at age two she decided she wanted a scrambled egg, so she got the eggs out of the fridge, broke one and mixed it in a bowl and poured it into a skillet on the stovetop. Thankfully she didn't know how to turn on the stove.
Now that she's older and more mature Princess uses her overactive imagination and flair for drama to make life more fun for herself and her siblings. In the past week I've observed her as a:
1. Lifeguard - When we hooked up the waterslide in the back yard she decided that instead of sliding she would sit at the top and be the lifeguard. She stopped Miss Bee from going down the slide headfirst and made sure everyone had on their sunscreen
2. Bus Driver - She pulled Big Man in our wagon in the backyard last week. Every so often she would stop to pick up and discharge passengers. Every so often Big Man had to get out for his stop. She also required exact fare for boarding the bus. She did, however, take requests for drop off location.
1. Plumber - at age two she took the back off the commode and pulled the hose that fills the tank out of its moorings. When I walked by the bathroom (thankfully only a few minutes later) I saw a jet of water spurting through the air.
2. Cook - Also at age two she decided she wanted a scrambled egg, so she got the eggs out of the fridge, broke one and mixed it in a bowl and poured it into a skillet on the stovetop. Thankfully she didn't know how to turn on the stove.
Now that she's older and more mature Princess uses her overactive imagination and flair for drama to make life more fun for herself and her siblings. In the past week I've observed her as a:
1. Lifeguard - When we hooked up the waterslide in the back yard she decided that instead of sliding she would sit at the top and be the lifeguard. She stopped Miss Bee from going down the slide headfirst and made sure everyone had on their sunscreen
2. Bus Driver - She pulled Big Man in our wagon in the backyard last week. Every so often she would stop to pick up and discharge passengers. Every so often Big Man had to get out for his stop. She also required exact fare for boarding the bus. She did, however, take requests for drop off location.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Splinters
A small but integral part of any active kid's life is getting - and removing - splinters. Since my children spend as much time as they possible outdoors they get their fair share of splinters. Which brings me to the topic of this post.
Big Man (who is currently five) has had maybe five or six "splinter incidents" that I can recall. And somewhere along the way he decided that water removes splinters. I believe that idea came about because once when he had a small splinter in his foot his Nana told him that if he soaked his foot in the bathtub that it might come out. Thus water removes splinters. Big Man is a brave boy, but when it comes to splinters he is terrified of having one removed with a needle. Now I'll admit most kids aren't crazy about needles but he will not under any circumstances allow me to remove a splinter. "No Mom, water will get the splinter out."
A few days ago he got a rather large splinter in the palm of his hand. By that evening it was starting to look infected. But every time I tried to convince him to let me remove it he insisted it would come out in the water. If you think for a minute about how sensitive the palm of your hand is, you'll realize the predicament I was in. I had to get that splinter out before infection set in. But there was no way he was going to let me take the splinter out. He would barely let me look at his hand - and only if my own hands were behind my back. So I waited until nighttime. Thankfully Big Man is a sound sleeper. So over the course of about 15 minutes I gently worked the splinter out. He never realized what had happened. The next morning he noticed his hand felt better. He came to me so proudly and said, "Look Mom! No more splinter!" When I asked how that happened he said, "The water got it out of course!"
I apologize in advance to his wife who will undoubtedly some day wonder why her otherwise intelligent husband believes water removes splinters.
Big Man (who is currently five) has had maybe five or six "splinter incidents" that I can recall. And somewhere along the way he decided that water removes splinters. I believe that idea came about because once when he had a small splinter in his foot his Nana told him that if he soaked his foot in the bathtub that it might come out. Thus water removes splinters. Big Man is a brave boy, but when it comes to splinters he is terrified of having one removed with a needle. Now I'll admit most kids aren't crazy about needles but he will not under any circumstances allow me to remove a splinter. "No Mom, water will get the splinter out."
A few days ago he got a rather large splinter in the palm of his hand. By that evening it was starting to look infected. But every time I tried to convince him to let me remove it he insisted it would come out in the water. If you think for a minute about how sensitive the palm of your hand is, you'll realize the predicament I was in. I had to get that splinter out before infection set in. But there was no way he was going to let me take the splinter out. He would barely let me look at his hand - and only if my own hands were behind my back. So I waited until nighttime. Thankfully Big Man is a sound sleeper. So over the course of about 15 minutes I gently worked the splinter out. He never realized what had happened. The next morning he noticed his hand felt better. He came to me so proudly and said, "Look Mom! No more splinter!" When I asked how that happened he said, "The water got it out of course!"
I apologize in advance to his wife who will undoubtedly some day wonder why her otherwise intelligent husband believes water removes splinters.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Book Review - The Noticer
I just finished reading Andy Andrews' latest book The Noticer and was impressed with its simple yet powerful message. Andrews is well known for his thought-provoking motivational books and this one is no exception. The focus of this book is perspective and how changing one's perspective of a situation will change how you react to that situation. Throughout the book different characters with a variety of apparently insurmountable problems find themselves talking to Jones who introduces them to a different way of viewing their problems. "It's all a matter of perspective" is the order of the day. And with new perspective insurmountable problems can become the groundwork for an even better future than we can imagine. From marital problems to depression, to business practices a wide variety of issues are addressed.
The "noticer" Jones remained an enigma to me. I could never decide if he was simply a gifted individual or a supernatural being (angel?) sent by God to help guide individuals. I lean toward interpreting him as just a gifted man concerned about those around him, but his character is definitely open to interpretation.
While this book is written from a Christian perspective the theme is not overtly Christian. As a Christian I would have preferred a few more concrete references to how changing your perspective directly applies to the Christian walk. However, the way this book is written even non-Christians could read it and gain a beneficial new perspective on their own lives as well. As stated in the book, "Think, learn, pray, plan, dream. For soon... you will become.
At 156 pages this book is a very quick read with a powerful message. This is one book I plan to keep on my shelf and re-read, as well as give to my children to read when as they enter adulthood.
The "noticer" Jones remained an enigma to me. I could never decide if he was simply a gifted individual or a supernatural being (angel?) sent by God to help guide individuals. I lean toward interpreting him as just a gifted man concerned about those around him, but his character is definitely open to interpretation.
While this book is written from a Christian perspective the theme is not overtly Christian. As a Christian I would have preferred a few more concrete references to how changing your perspective directly applies to the Christian walk. However, the way this book is written even non-Christians could read it and gain a beneficial new perspective on their own lives as well. As stated in the book, "Think, learn, pray, plan, dream. For soon... you will become.
At 156 pages this book is a very quick read with a powerful message. This is one book I plan to keep on my shelf and re-read, as well as give to my children to read when as they enter adulthood.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)