A Saturday at the coast

So last weekend we decided to take the kids to the coast to force knowledge down their throats have a good time. We went to see the ship wreck of the Peter Iredale that wrecked in 1906. It looked like this after it's crash.

This is what it looked like this weekend. The kids could have cared less what it was or why it was there. They just played in the sand and surf for a couple hours.


After the beach, we went to the Ft. Steven's state park. Specifically we went to their military museum. We lucked out and they had some people who were doing a reenactment of a naval landing party. I don't recall what ship specifically but it was neat. We got to see a practice cannon loading.

And learned that girls had a position in the navy at that time. 7-8 year old children were used as 'powder monkeys' in the ships because the ships were so small. People would bring their children when they couldn't care for them. The girls would work and send money home and would leave the military able to read, write, have manners, ect. and could make a good match above their class. The boys would do the same but had the opportunity to become captians. We learned that Admrial David Glasgow Farragut, who famously said "Damn the torpedos, full steam ahead!" in the Battle of Mobile Bay, became the captain of his own ship at the tender age of 12 years old.


They also had a jeep from WWII(I believe) that the kids could play in. The girls would duck and fire out the back while David bravely drove on. The girls would yell "DUCK!!" and David would look around and say "There's no duck." He was very confused!


Lori learned to spin yarn. She had trouble getting the rythem down. Heel, toe, heel, toe.


Well in all fairness, she just somehow did it wrong cause it kept going the wrong direction, so maybe the wrong order? Toe heel toe heel.. She got to bring home some wool.


David's favorite time was behind the wheel of the Jeep. We must have gone back to that thing 3 times or better. He was a wild driver, making sharp turns and rapid direction changes.


Though I guess he would have avoided being shot. All in all we had fun. The kids got some sun but Mom got burned(shock!). Even Edwin seemed to enjoy exploring stuff. We hope to go back for the Civil War reenactment over Labor Day.

Lonesome

Edwin went to go visit with friends today. He's down in Lebanon and I'm here. He left the car for me, which is nice, and he deserves some down time because he's been working so much. Heck, he's even going to be working while he's there.

But a Saturday without him, I find I'm lonely. Incredibly lonesome. There had been talk of a couple friends coming to visit but it's not worked out. I clearly need to find friends or a hobby or something. The desire to call him and ask if we can come down is overwhelming. It's like an empty place in my chest. A physical longing.

Sad, how many other people get like this? I'm guessing not many. I need a life.

8 whole years.

8 years since you came into my life. 8 years of growing up together. 8 years of change and strife. I think we're stronger for it. My first born child. The first love of my life.

Happy Birthday Baby. I'm so glad you chose me for your mommy.

Waaa???

I was listening to an Ambien commercial tonight and heard that one of the 'side effects' was 'being aggressively normal'...... What does that even mean??

My Uterus is Vacating.

Oh gracious, how could I have forgotten how a period without hormones feels?? Maybe it's like childbirth and the memories become fuzzy.

I lost my IUD last weekend so I'm hormone free. My body is not loving this. I did some research about post IUD bleeding and it seems I may have a long row to hoe.. Fun! Some women have been in the ER from blood loss. Thankfully that isn't the case here, but it certainly gave me pause!

While lying on my couch dying, my darling David has been very good with snuggles, hugs, and keeping himself occupied! My little girl is less forgiving. She is very demanding. Different kids different personalities. By 5pm I was ready to beat her if she asked to go outside or play on the computer one more time! Which, can I say, she stopped playing on because she deleted a program from my desktop!

Oh children you are my challenge.

The kids found out that Michelle is coming on Saturday and are psyching themselves up. I know they'll have fun but gracious it'll be busy!!

Still haven't heard from Lori's Dad about summer visitation. Not sure how that will pan out.

In other news, I'm going to try selling Avon.. So here's my site, come buy product!

Project Support Beauty in Nature

To help lessen our impact on the world we've taken the following steps:

1) Use organic cleaners when ever possible. Our favorites right now are Clorox Greenworks.



Their products work just as well for me. I am also able to replace the glass cleaner, bathroom cleaner, and toilet bowl cleaner by just using a spray bottle with the 'Natural Dilutable' cleaner in a spray bottle mixed per directions.

2) Seems like a given, but many people don't do this. We RECYCLE.
We reuse when we can, recycle when we can't. When we are able to, we'll also compost. If you recycle, reuse, and compost, there is little that goes to the landfill. Every two weeks(when our recycling is picked up) our recycling is over flowing, but each week our garbage can contains only one or two bags. That's for 5 people.

3) We take short showers. I shower in about ten minutes, 15 if I take my toddler in with me. By sharing the shower, I'm saving the 20 minute bath he'll take later that always turns to shower for the rinse. My 8 year olds have strict time limits for showering. No sitting under the water playing.

4) This summer I'll be drying half or more of my laundry outside. Why use the dryer when it's so darn hot out there? The only thing I wish I had? A bigger drying rack.

5) We microwave whenever possible because it takes less energy than heating up our stove or oven.

What do you do?

Memorial Day weekend

For Memorial Day weekend we decided to take the kids to the beach. The first day we ended up being in the car the entire time driving down the coast line looking for the 'perfect' beach. We ended up 151 miles down the coast. Driving home was shorter because we didn't take the round about long way. The kids had fun and we ended up staying in this awful hotel, I mean...no bugs, but it was the worst thing I've ever slept in. Ick ick ick Econolodge in Lincoln City. It was the best we could do on a holiday weekend. Everything else was sold out. And the clerk knew it. We paid THROUGH THE NOSE for crap.

But the next day we had good food and played at the beach for hours. We even put on enough sunscreen so no one got burned!

Edwin made castles

Complete with moat. The moat made David insane! He kept trying to fill it in. Before we left for the day, he had to fill in the moat because it 'had a hole, i need fix hole'.. kind of cute but was an irritation for Dad.

David was having fun filling and dumping his bucket. He had even more fun making his sisters scream by destroying their buildings.

Michelle was pretty laid back and was having lots of fun. I couldn't keep her and Lori out of the waves. They both got soaked from the thighs down.

Lori's hair is so fine it doesn't remain in clips or hair ties.. So she was on the beach looking like her mother doesn't love her. But she had fun.. She was doing most of the yelling.

Both of the kids wanted to take home parts of dead things. Crab legs, sand crab carcass, and such.. yuck!!



Hope your Memorial Weekend was awesome!