Working Mom Blues and The Turtle Safari Aftermath

Moonbeam isn't all that thrilled about the chocolate soy milk sample I picked up at the health fair.
Post Race Pic

Pre Race Pic
(See Previous Post for Race Story)

Trying to dry out Moonbeams shoes in the fire.

Can you see the Mama Duck and her ducklings?!

A man wearing a stuffed brazier underneath his shirt smiled at me and tried to get my attention. As soon as I looked in his direction, he began tweaking his phony appendages. I hurried by him trying not to show any obvious shock..................................

Not long after I arrived in the city this event took place. I should have taken the obscene behavior as a sign of things to come, but I was too deep in my own personal thoughts to consider that. When I started my shift, a co-worker informed me that it was mushrooming season. "People are up there picking morels and "freedom bells", a psychedelic shroom. I didn't doubt that at all.

Many grievous occurrences have taken place in our own little community, but I am not at liberty to disclose them at this time. Sufficient to say that though I spin my tales of mirth, a part of me grieves for those suffering loss. I feel like my own heart is broken for them. I thought to take the kayak out today and free my own soul from the chaotic forces, but the grief seemed to hold fast and I found myself in troubled prayers.

Later on, after Moonbeam was soundly napping, I escaped to the outdoor swing for a peaceful nap. I awakened to my husband, who had returned home from town. As we talked, the wind picked up and darkness suddenly came in the form of great, billowing angry storm clouds. Rain drops began hitting us. Tumultuous storms brewed both outside me and deep within my soul.

That's why seeing the pervert was just one more ominous sign of the times I seemed to find myself in. Perhaps it was God's comedy relief to me. I don't know. Perhaps I'm over analyzing. At any rate, as always I would be in for an interesting night....................................

Terriffic Turtles; PerTURbed TURtles - Relative Rest - Reluctant Runny Nosed Runners (Part 2)

Exciting Real Life Photo of my husband cooking something.

ArtDog Wearing "The Coat"

Dad takes Moonbeam to see some Turtles

And now for our exciting conclusion!

Standing out there in the darkness, time stopped. I knew something was out there, but I didn't know what it was. I shone the light around, mildly disturbed there were no reflecting eyes. I called out. No one answered. I didn't think danger was lurking around the next bend, but I also didn't want to prove myself wrong. Just as I was about to consider turning back to camp a rushing came from the bushes straight at me.........

"Grrrrr!!!" Yelled my husband grabbing me around the waist. I screamed. Then I made him stand guard while I changed into my PJ's. I had lost all nerve for doing anything out there by myself. He didn't seem to mind the job. When we returned to camp things were winding down. The children began rolling out their sleeping bags. In keeping with Patrick McManus's story about "The Coat" (Read The Night The Bear Ate Goombaw), ArtDog brought along an old fur coat to sleep in.

"The Coat" is much more enjoyed than "The Bag", which belongs to Super Catman. Each camping trip, he is relegated to it. Years ago, he had to start making due with his sister's old pink sleeping bag by default. This has always been quite distressing to him, though I keep forgetting to look for another. Each trip, he tries to finagle somebody elses sleeping bag. Each trip he winds up with the same old unmanly pink one. Each trip he is embarrassed when night falls and thoroughly disgusted at his sleeping demise. To make matters worse, his sister chose a spot next to him. When she suggested he cuddle up next to her, it was just to much. He harrumphed grumpily and scooted away sulking a bit.

The night passed by uneventfully, and I slept reasonably well. What I really needed was rest. I was pleasantly surprised when I got a lot of it the next day. My husband made breakfast and lunch. Moonbeam was surprisingly content playing where ever I laid around reading. I spent the morning reading by the campfire and later enjoyed some special time with my husband. The kids all took off to fish. In the afternoon, I laid around on the dock reading a stupid novel which I later threw in the trash. Moonbeam played. The only ambitious thing I did do was to photograph some turtles. My husband first spotted them and took Moonbeam out to see them. He, too, photographed them. Later on I took her on my own Turtle Safari. I was also earlier charged by a mother duck who decided I was too close to her ducklings which I later discovered hidden in the weeds. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. It was the kind of day laying around at a lake with your husband and kids was perfect for. Despite my initial thought of staying home "to rest", I was glad I came. After all, Rest is Relative. After lounging around most of the day, my husband told me we'd better get ready to go. The big race was the next morning and we needed to get home at a decent time. In the "rush" to pack up and get a quick family picture, I re injured my ankle again.

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The 5K Fun Run!

The next morning, nobody wanted to get out of bed. Most of us were under the weather. My ankle felt strange. We were all exhausted from the fresh air and fun. I didn't even feel like dragging myself out of bed let alone running a 3 mile race. Would the kids actually do it? One by one the kids got up unenthused. They all knew nobody was making them do it. They all got ready without much conversation. Dirty laundry was stacked up all over. I suppose had I stayed home "to rest", that would have gotten done. I couldn't find my running gear.

Some how we all piled back into the Suburban and some how we showed up to the run on time. My boss was the one organizing it as part of our hospital's health fair. She smiled at us. None of us had ever been to or participated in a "fun run". We signed a paper and were given numbers. There were around 35 runners of varying ages and appearance of competency. My boss got the runners in a circle to lead them in stretches. My kids looked horrified and just stood there. Finally we were all off running. My husband, pushing the stroller with Moonbeam was to speed walk beside Super Catman who was participating in the 3K. Super Catman had done a small degree of preparation and ran like the wind, pleasing his dad. When they sped across the finish line, he'd done it in 14.7 mn and come in 2nd place for kids. My husband, though pushing a stroller, was the first adult across the finish line. He beat a woman pushing a stroller. Mildly embarrassed, he was awarded with a shirt.

The Archer and Art Dog stayed at the front of the 5K pack. Sock Fashion Expert and I were a ways behind the front runners, though we jogged on. I had given a corny speech in the car as if I were the coach of an underdog team telling them my own goofy rendition of "The Little Engine Who Could". As we ran up a hill together, I huffed "I think I can". She huffed "I know I can" back. After passing by many houses, we found ourselves running down a country road. I had worried we'd get lost, but there always seemed to be people ahead of us and signs at the turns. After passing by a farm with a pony who seemed to be cheering us on, we saw the half way water station and turn around. Archer followed by Art Dog sped by with the front pack runners yelling some instruction as they went by. Little kids handed us water we gulped as we turned around mid stride. Until now Sock Fashion Expert had kept ahead of me, but now she seemed to be lagging behind. I worried about the pain in her ankles. We had both wrapped our ankles before running. Mine hurt some, but it was holding up okay. On we ran. After a long stretch, I could make out the hospital in the distance and I knew we were close. I started picking up speed knowing SFE was safe now and not far behind. SFE and I had trained more than anybody else. Artdog wasn't far behind us in preparation. Though I never felt like I ran all that hard, I would cross the finish line with a time of 29.51 and she was 30.01, our best times ever. My boss said I did good. I felt happy.

I was proud to hear Art Dog placed 2nd for kids in the 5K with a time of 26.11. I was simply stunned and proud to hear The Archer had won the 5k. This is the man kid who had NEVER ran 3 miles until last week. He did it once and once only wearing shoes that were falling apart carrying his rifle along "just to see if he could". Now he had won the 5K with a time of 22.21 "not trying all that hard".

Despite the fact that a month of dirty dishes awaits me (my part of the bargain for any kid who ran) - Despite the fact that I had to start a stretch of night shifts that night - And despite the fact we'd all been sick and some injured, I was glad. I'd shown them a healthy avenue and they'd not only taken it, but excelled in it. Selah.

Terrific Turtles; PerTURbed TURtles - Relative Rest - Reluctant Runny Nosed Runners (Part 1)

She walks straight in with her shoes on!

Our Campsite

Which Family Pic Do You Guys Like Best?!

Family Pic (A)

Family Pic (B)

Family Pic (C)

To get to the campsite, it was easiest to canoe in the heavy stuff rather than pack it in. The Archer hopes hard the transport operation will be uneventful!

Romance, Action, Adventure, Suspense! Our camping trip weekend packed it all in with a wallop! Okay, so maybe not the movie or novel kind, but enough for a blog post anyway ;-)

UNKNOWNS...... There were a lot of unknowns to begin with. Namely, it was unknown when we would go and dependant on weather. Then there was to be an extended "pre-men's turkey hunting trip", which fell through because the men were needed to don fire fighter gear instead. Finally it was unknown if we would all go because I'd been engaged in fierce combat with a sore throat and fever all week. In the end, our overloaded Suburban pulled out down the road Thursday morning on a detour trip to the dentist. Armed with several more toothbrushes and some stickers, after 3 kids had gotten teeth cleanings and check ups we were on our way to the destination at hand, "Terrifical Turtley Toodles Lake".

My Sister, Heather, bought us some pizza, though she didn't know it. Thanks Heather! Heather would also later buy us McDonald's on the way home and fixings for Root beer floats. She had given us some money a long time ago which I had been diligently carrying around waiting for just the right occasion. The occasion presented himself handsomely.

We arrived at our destination, a boat landing around 3pm. We decided rather than camp around there, we'd be brave and float our belongings to the nice private area pictured above. To get there, you must hike in or pay the forest service for access to a gated road. It was a little inconvenient, but also ensured our own camping privacy. In then end, the extra work was well worth it, because it was such a beautiful, yet secluded spot.

I began the trip by taking a long needed nap on the pavilion, as did SFE and Dad. After that, I didn't get much further than the dock. The lazy, warm breeze and inviting waters encouraged me to just relax out there. Super Catman was as smug as an ally Tom dining in a Red Lobster Dumpster to be fishing and playing with his remote controlled boat. As you can see, Moonbeam had fun too. After running up and down the dock a zillion times chattering happily, she decided to check out the water. She walked right in! No hesitation, no "ah, i want to rethink this", nothing. She just ups and walks right in! Then she looks at me to see how I react.

The boys caught bass, pumpkin seed sunnies, and perch. I even caught one thanks to Art Dog's worm generosity. The Archer also thought to liberate some baby Osprey or maybe they were Herons from circling ravens. SFE took to the wooded area for "the perfect marshmallow sticks". Archer and Super Catman built a blazing fire. Again, I mostly lounged around.

That evening we roasted the traditional hot dogs and marshmallows. I also brought myself a delightful feta and spinach salad which received some undeserved heckles. Later it's existence was partially redeemed when the container was used "for bait". After dark, scads of tiny field mice hopped about greedily looking for morsels. The younger "men" felt it necessary to take some affirmative action. My husband read us Patrick McMannus stories around the campfire. Moonbeam fell asleep. I secretly wondered how safe it would be to sleep as I eyed the pavilion suspiciously. Would I experience a rude awakening by an army of feisty field mice? What other opportunists prowled about the valley forest? As calm blackness enveloped us, it occurred to me I should have gotten ready for bed sooner. I tripped in a hole and slightly re injured my hurt ankle... again. Reluctantly I found my pj's and began making my way toward the tree line. I heard something moving. I stopped, shining my flashlight around the trees warily. Goosebumps began to form on my arms. I wondered if I really had to go to the bathroom that bad. Maybe I should just sleep in my jeans. I took another step. Something was definitely out there. I could feel it.

Blog in again for the exciting conclusion..............................

Big Boyz and Their Toyz Getting The Job Done!

Uhhh.... Somethings Not Right! The men must fix a problem.

Neighbor "Care Free Jom" wanted some extra dirt for a project. My husband wanted to get rid of some so he could make a drive through for the semi. Another neighbor loaned them some equipment to get the job done.

Strategies

Our Neighbor, "Dan The Tractor Man" smoothing things out. (No he's not pulling the semi - te he he)

Whew! What a day!

So many happy things have been going on that I could blog for hours and never get it all in. Speaking went well last Thursday. It was a fun group of ladies. That was encouraging. Of course you saw the concert pics. Last Saturday the boys went to a birthday party, that's another good story opportunity altogether. Gosh, where has the time gone?! Monday was a shopping trip. Tuesday, Bible Study. I am beyond thrilled that my husband has been building me my first ever real green house! I will have to put up a post about that too. Been snapping pics and hauling dirt like crazy. Today, besides all that, the kids worked on the toy closet disaster and packed for camping tomorrow. The men also responded to a local grass fire. Not to forget our 5K and my work days this weekend. Jeepers!

I bet you're all outside doing yard work, gardening and enjoying this beautiful week of May! Leave me a comment and tell me about your recent projects :-)

Experiencing "We As Human" In Concert

A Happy Sock Fashion Expert!! A mom's gotta do something right once in a while ;-)

The Boys after being rocked! (Pay close attention to Super Catman's Ears)

Kiree, the neighbor girl and I Carrot Lady (honorably named for her super human gardening ability) and I
The only pic of The Archer I managed to snag.

My kids meeting We As Human's lead singer. Super Catman is shaking his hand.

Last night, I took a wily bunch of concert goers down into civilization so they could experience "We As Human", a Christian rock band. What a super fun outing! It was also an impressive outreach to the community. Friendly people were grilling hot dogs and cheese burgers FOR FREE! They also gave away FREE chips, sodas and snow cones. There were kids everywhere! I over did it a little on the grilled food - ugh! Its just that word "free" that tends to get me some times. Buffets do the same thing, which is why I never do them ;-) The actual concert was held in a grainery. I should have a taken a picture of it from the outside. It was neat that they took the initiative to hold it in there. The group is starting a youth center, and we were to discover this was their big kick off for it. Did I mention the concert was also FREE?!

As usual, I didn't want the kids off in the crowd without me, so I stuck close. That ended up putting me in the direct front of the crowd and an arms length away from the lead singer. One local kid saw that Super Catman was up in front and said to me "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him". I smiled. No way was I leaving. He looked at me again. "Are you staying up here?" he asked incredulously. I smiled again and nodded.

At first I was some what shocked that I was so close to the lead singer. He was standing on a block and dancing around an arms length away from me. Some how I didn't expect that I would be right there, and my prude lady character tried to crop up but I silenced her and just decided to have fun. I started dancing around with the other kids and nobody seemed to mind that I was a few decades older than I should be. Carrot Lady later confessed to rocking with the crowd too. Thank God I'm not the only non teen who likes to have fun at concerts! It was a great show and I had fun, despite myself. The only part I could have done without was the infamous "spitting of water". Apparently it is rock culture for popular singers to take in great mouthfuls of water and spit them into the crowd. This seemed a bit horrifying to me, particularly because I wasn't expecting it and the first time some of his spit water landed in my eye. Yuck! After that, I ducked when I saw it coming. Other than the nasty spitting of water previously held in the singers mouth, the concert rocked! There was later a Salvation message where kids received Jesus and also people passing out Bibles. In the end, the band stayed for autographs. They were very personable.

Here's what the kids thought :

Super Catman : "I liked it. I don't regret any part except for when he spit all over the crowd."

Art Dog: "It was fun. They could have turned down the volume and stopped spitting on people. Thats about it."
SFE : "I love concerts! He he he! It was totally Awesome."

The Archer : "The music was good."

There's No Need To Fear - A Volunteer Fire Fighter Is Here!

The boys were ecstatic to find this set of Moose Paddles while out Scouting and Shed Hunting.

What does Spider man and my children have in common?

Well, it all started one dismal day this past week when the weather was terrible outside. My husband said "What should we do today?" I reminded him that he had been talking about cleaning up the basement. Sure enough, he and the kids spent the day working in their "man zone". I don't spend much time down there. Its messy and that drives me batty, so I stay out for my own peace of mind. Anyway, after a hard days work, they decided to start doing their own "Ninja Warrior" competitions. They tried walking their hands down the beam that runs along the basement ceiling. They tried doing tricks on it. I suggested seeing who could hang the longest (since that's about all I could do). Finally, we used the timer to see who could hang onto the vertical pole the longest without sliding down. Sock Fashion currently holds the pole record at 10 minutes. Of course the boys wouldn't tolerate this, so they have been working furiously to surpass her glorious record title as "vertical pole hanger champion". I suppose one could say we are easily entertained - lol.

Tomorrow I'm speaking at a women's group. Ugh, I suppose I'd better get to studying. Send prayers and happy thoughts my way :-) Friday I am taking the Sock Fashion Expert to a Christian Rock concert. She's pretty excited about that. Today I read Jubal Sackett by Louis L'Amour. Oh gosh it was so good I couldn't put it down. I'm adding it to my list of favorite reads :-) Have a lovely rest of your week!!

A Non Traditional Potty Goer Meets Fake Poop

Moonbeam isn't all that interested in traditional potty going yet, though she does play with the frog potty. One day I found her in bed snuggling with a part of it. The children tried to help her get the idea by squatting over her potty chair, making some sound effects, and leaving behind a deposit of fake dog poop. Unimpressed, she tosses the plastic poop aside and continues to play on her frog.

I was quite disappointed. Partly because she didn't seem the least bit interested in the real purpose for her potty. Partly, because I am quite proud of my realistic fake poop, and she was yet another unimpressed party. I bought it while I was working a contract job out of town. When I returned home, I left it on the children's toilet seat in an attempt to disturb them. They weren't impressed. I also tried it in The Archers Bathroom. He didn't buy it. I tried it again a few years later when my friend Mist came over. Her dog was on the floor in the dining room and I set it next to him when she was in the bathroom. She didn't but it either. Gosh, people just don't appreciate my sense of humor ;-) My remote control fart machine went over a lot better, but that's a story for another day.