Summer's End

(No babies were really left to float alone in the pool. Wink.  I photoshopped myself out of the picture.)

I asked the whole family what thier favorite parts of this summer were. Here are thier short lists;

ha ha! D did not swim at the deep end of poop! That was a mommy slip of the hand. 

Ted's been running a business (a Daycare) and we have a new baby. I wanted to be more intentional about the shorter family times we have. We prayed for meaningful summer activities. Viola! I found an inexpensive pool membership that has served us well.  Fridays we go to work with Daddy and put on a Storytime. There were a couple trips to see family. Ted spent a little time sharing books he loves with the kids, and teaching them tennis. 

Even with that though it was great to hear what really spoke to the kids. Jonathan (playing), Dorathea, new accomplishments. For all of us friends and simple things spoke loudest. 

Now we are knee-deep in school and I am already lonely for friend time and alone time! The oxymoron of an extroverted homeschooler! Hopefully, I will soon find more balance, more encouraging conversation, and some great long workouts.

As fall enters, what are you investing in time-wise? Individualy (like Dorathea's porch time?), What relationships do you feel drawn to invest in, and what are some activities that will playfully do that? I'd love to hear you're answers! 

The airboretum exhibit at Virginia Tech

storytime!

Until I get to chat with you about it lets bid summer 2016 farewell.- Allison 

Tips for traveling by train with children.

I have a six month old who is all smiles until you put him in a car seat. That is why we Keys made a routine visit to family into an adventure by deciding to go by train. It worked! Baby was happy, kids enjoyed the ride, and I arrived a little less tired. Here are some tips I found along the way to make it  more of an adventure for the older kids and a happier ride for baby and Mommy!

1. Buying tickets, kids ride for half fare! 

One of the main reasons I was up for this trip is that as I tried different dates and times on Amtrak's website I found tickets comparable to the cost of gas. I was amazed at how affordable train travel is becoming! If you can play with different dates and times to find some great fares.

2. Let the older kids pack and carry thier own rolling suit cases

Amtrak is generous with thier luggage allowances, even if you are just bringing carry-ons. Even so I wanted needed the kids to be able to carry thier own things since I had a foldable stroller, baby and infant carseat, my own carry on, and the baby's diaper bag stuffed with snacks. I put thier clothes in the suitcases first, then let them pack a few toys and books. Then we tested if they could pick up thier suit case alone. This is important as they might have to go up and down stairs with it. I think it taught them some packing light skills too (They whittled down library of books they were bringing to just a couple). I was so glad we decided on rolling suitcases for them. Backpacks would have been too heavy as we waited for the train.

3. Bring a small infant carseat.

This was great for baby naps on the train, and to give my arms a little rest! An infant seat fit perfectly at my feet onboard The conductor called Isaiah a little stowaway (because babies ride for free) which made the kids giggle. I brought a foldable frame stroller that it snaps into, put my luggage and diaper bag on that. later the carseat strapped into my mom's car.

Sleeping while mommy packs the diaper bag, the morning of the trip.

4. Check Amtrak's arrival site in case your train is running behind. 

You can even download their app. I found the train might be a few minutes late in the morning, and possibly an hour late later in the day, so it is important to check!

5. Leave an extra hour or so to meander around the train station. 

I wish I had allowed more time because only got their thirty minutes early, not enough time to make it to the train museum next door.  We didn't have to check into a station at all we just hopped onto the train with the digital tickets Amtrak sent by email. It was fun for the kids just to talk to other passengers in the waiting room. Next time I will give us an hour to get a coffee and explore the more around the train station. 

6. Pack an activity book with maps, drawing paper, and puzzles. 

I found some great travel printables (my favorite one from this Family Education site)

 I also went to Amtrak's website and printed out a 

map of the trip (just click on the small map on your route to pull up a larger customizable map to print)so the kids could mark off the cities as we rolled through them. For my reading ten year old I added the Amtrak Route Guide which includes a paragraph about each stations history and feature to learn more about where we are at any given town. 

I also found these pages with instructions on how to draw trains;

and one for smaller kids here. 

I just put a few blank pages in with the drawing pages. I placed the pages in a very cheap 3  prong folder.  I stuck a Mad Libs book in for D and a kid's magazine for J to make them even cooler.  The activity books seemed to help them enjoy the trip even more. The kids loved finding them in thier carseats the morning of the trip. It was akin to Christmas magic when we got in the car. Make sure they pack colored pencils in thier luggage!

6. When you get a little stir crazy go to the Dining Car!

This is one of my favorite things about train travel! The Dining Car. It might not be fancy but their is something about sitting down at a table while traveling that I love. We brought UNO and a plastic bag full of lunchy snacks to the dining car. We sat at a table and watched the world go by while we ate and played. It's kinda nice to talk with your people face to face, light pouring in on your table. Plus my kids love the change of scene, to stretch their legs, and push the buttons that open the doors between the cars (as long as their not fighting over them).

Ok that's all I've got! I loooove riding on trains.  The scenery seems undiscovered. The quiet rocking of the train makes my kids sleepy. Also it seems romantic, tied into so many books we've read, Harry Potter, The Boxcar Children, The Railway Children, A Bear Called Paddington.

So many different kinds of people to see. There were friendly city people, people from other countries, suburbanites, and even a couple Amish families. It was fun asking people where they where from and watching them get on and off the train.

I think we all enjoyed it, learned a lot, and had fun making a train memory!

Happy Travels! May your bags be light and your kids not fight (too much).- Allison

They are Trying to Control My Life!

Jonathan came to me yesterday and said almost crying,
"Why does Dorathea have to clean my room?"
"Well she cleaned your room to earn computer time."
Jonathan, "I don't like it. I can't find my Lego instructions now."
Me, "Well you can tell her that and ask her where the instructions are."
Jonathan thinks and then, suddenly angry, "She is trying to control my life!"
Then he goes to the backdoor, opens it, and yells out at his sister, "Stop trying to control me!"

D comes in a couple minutes later and I said, "So what did you think of what Jonathan just said to you?"
D "Aw, he is so cute!"
Me laughing, "Yes he is awesome, but maybe you should ask before you clean his room next time?"
D- smiling, "Ok Mommy"

I have the best kids, really.
I've been reading "The Grace Filled Parent". I usually cringe at rule, I mean parenting books but I love this one! It talks a lot about loving our kids like Jesus. Realizing we all sin and we all need Jesus to help us love each other.

 The sneaking of computer time, and other small infractions were really getting to me. Our summer was starting to feel like one big time of giving out punishments ALL DAY LONG.

Then I ran across this meme that really got my attention. Disclaimer: It's a little harsh in style. Throw out the condemning tone .

It was just what I needed when I needed it (aka answer to prayer).  I've really working on not overreacting (rolling my eyes, acting dissapointed, raising my voice) to things before I hand out discipline. Its amazing how fast MY view of my kids changed. With me toning down my reactions to sneaking, the infractions got smaller. Now my kids awesome selves seem bigger and I'm finding myself laughing more than scolding.

They are not "Trying to control my life!" They are just making mistakes  trying to rise above them, just like I am.

P.S. Having one type A child and one type B is educational, hilarious, and not for the weak of heart.
- Allison

Isaiah finds his toes!!!

 Breaking news!
Isaiah made two adorable new friends.

His feet. And he has been playing with these cuties all day.


He is completely enamored with them and who can blame him?

Here is Jonathan when he made the same discovery;

And here is Dorathea;

 All so cute!

This one wins the contest for most hair though!

Life is good when you have ten pink toes and a head full of faux-hawk hair.

Dream of where you will go with them sweet Isaiah.

Mother Nature's Son

We live in a beautiful neighborhood right where the town meets the farmland. There are two organic farms right in our backyard! Nearly every day I take a walk to the end of our road pushing the stroller and look over the rolling farmland and watch the sun set. I decided to take a basket along for some sunset pictures of Isaiah. 

 We have used this basket as a changing pad but I fear he's about to outgrow it!

I grabbed the pillow from my bed. 

The last of the "little bed" photos. He's outgrown the doll bed too!

Love this Nature's Son. He is a calm and happy baby when I take him outside. 

Isaiah Loves

Confessions of a Mommy Mermaid

Confession; I don't look like Ariel, but today I put on my mermaid tale and swam with the Memorial Day crowd at the lake!
Backstory; Last summer I purchased a authentic looking mermaid tale. I decided instead of buying an outfit or some makeup for my birthday I would act like a kid and get something fun. I ran across mermaid tales complete with monofin so that I could not only look like a mermaid, but also swim like one. I had a nagging feeling that a close-to-two-hundred-pound mermaid might look more like a whale. I stomped that feeling down. I reasoned if they sold authentic fairy wings that made you fly, would I hesitate? No! I had a chance to buy a mermaid tale and I was going to go for it!!!

It was WONDERFUL! I could swim faster, and mermaid style with my arms by my side. While flipping around at the lake and pool got a great workout in my whole lower half. I found out mermaids are banned from one local pool (mermaid prejudice is real), but at the other pool when I put my tale on I drew a crowd of little girls who asked me if I was a real mermaid and asked to touch my fin. The funny thing was, I was pregnant then and my belly was already growing (along with my lower half, which is how my body decides to handle pregnancy).  Those little girls didn't care about my not Ariel body. As I floated in the pool with eight little girls giggling and touching the mermaid tail I decided I was a real mermaid. Because I was a real woman.

The Joy of the mermaid tale lingers in my smile post swim. Isaiah, merbaby in training, is not yet amused.

 I am three months out from having my third baby and pulled out the tail again today. I'm guessing I'm still 20 pounds from pre-baby weight. But guess what? The tail came out today! I swam circles around my daughter and when onlookers glanced at me with the tail on I thought great! They can see  a Real Mommy Mermaid.