Rocks rock!

The highlight of our spring break last week got us dirty, dusty, muddy, sweaty, and tired.

I've been wanting to go here since I read about it in a homeschooling magazine last year...and finally it was opening weekend at Morefield Gem Mines.

We went with friends, and the kids were bouncing out of their car seats in excitement...and really so were we because we had no idea what to expect. But the GPS put us at a church grave yard. Juan Pablo made a joke about what you'd find digging there, but after driving in circles for a few minutes, we finally stopped and asked a man weedwhacking on the side of the rode. He told us it was just up ahead...but he added, "I think it's closed!"

Nope. I was undeterred. I knew that it was opening weekend so we headed on up the street.

We turned where the man had pointed...onto a gravelly, windy road with stumps of trees, long ago cut down, as far as the eye could see. It was not looking promising, and I was a little nervous about heading through this barren wasteland.

But we finally neared the tree line, and I saw signs of life...lots of parked cars and the excitement was back in an instant.

This was the first thing we saw when we pulled up: old mine cars.

And having just watched some Indiana Jones movies, we were all imagining barreling through the mines in the rickety cars with no brakes.

We started with a picnic at some nice shady tables. You definitely want to bring a picnic if you go...and don't forget the table cloth...it makes picnicking so much better!

Bathroom lines are long so be forewarned...but the display shop shows all the amazing types of gems and rocks you may find, so it's fun to look at while you're waiting.

We finally got our wristbands and headed down to an open field filled with giant holes and people sitting and digging all around.

Isabela went straight for this one, as I imagine every child does when they first arrive.


The mine area is marked. There are real miners there that bring up fresh loads of dirt and rocks twice a day. It's best to go there just after it's dumped to get the best pickin's...but really anything you find will be amazing. And you WILL find lots of things. Bring a bucket.


How about this mica? Mica has long been my favorite rock...and there's so much of it, you'll actually walk by pieces as big as your fist and not pick them up. Diego had fun scrunching it and watching it blow away in sparkly little pieces.


Isabela and Sami were on a mission to collect the biggest rocks they could find. The only rule was 'you carry what you find back to the car'. (Later, they had a 'fancy rock sale' in Sami's neighborhood. Beautiful bagged gems for only $5. Some of the bigger rocks were $100, and 'cool' rocks were $22. I can't believe they had no sales.)


It's a great place for exploring. Lots of old machines and neat signs to look at.


I think Juan Pablo thoroughly enjoyed himself. He was asking the old timers lots of questions and finally found the 'getting place' for gems. He came home with more than 20 garnets, which just happens to be my birthstone. Isn't he sweet.


But the most fun to be had is definitely at the sluice. They have mesh strainers where you can dump your rocks and let the cool water flow over them, turning them into sparkling, shiny treasures.


Really, you could just head straight there without all the digging. People dump the stuff they don't want on the other side and it's full of beautiful rocks.


Diego had a great time...this place is for any age. He did start wandering and whacking the air with that stick in his hand after awhile, which was my cue to get him a snack. A cold drink and some chex mix did the trick.


Did you guys find anything good?


Don't miss this fun treasure hunting opportunity! The mine is open Saturdays until May 26.

the enemy

On any given day, if I can't find the children, and the house is quiet, this is why. Meet my archenemy.

He's stolen our creativity.

He's stolen our family time.

He's lured my children away from adventures in the great outdoors.

I teeter back and forth on taking it away and giving it back. I've thrown it in the trash, but it reappeared. When rooms are kept clean for days on end, homework is done, and civility reigns, I think, "Why not?" and give in. But I regret it EVERY time.

It's been gone for the last few days.

Some of us have gotten messy with Mod Podge, or taken a mountain bike ride for hours in the park. We've played Uno and been to a birthday party.

The enemy is down. But I'm sure the battle is not over.

beautiful things

today

This is an important picture.



I know. You've seen just as many of these pics as I have. But today's the day we hope to see more and more of those precious lips. We're starting to say good-bye to chupi....his binki, paci, whatever you may call it. No more hard plastic chupi kisses. Or at least not as many...we're slow going...just using it for naps and night-night...and today was a pretty good day.

It seems like all this 'big-boy' talk may have gone to his head....or he'd just like to be an '80s tennis pro.


Today was a special day for Joaquin, too. And a long one coming...he and I went out for his birthday. Yesterday he said, "I can't believe it's almost Christmas and we still haven't celebrated my birthday!" Unfortunately, my great idea of celebrating with only mom, dad and birthday kid never quite worked out how I thought. Soooo, we may be re-instituting parties for the coming year. The kids are thrilled.


And where do you think my spirited Joaquin would like to go with his mom? To paint pottery. He knew exactly what he wanted to paint, too...Rudolph.


I've been wanting to do this for so long...just me and him. It really is priceless to take out just one kid and focus all your attention on them.


Because one day, you'll take a picture of them, and wonder how they grew up so fast...and you might catch a glimpse of a future teenager...and there'll be a knot in your throat or a tear in your eye.


This month is all about being thankful. And I can't get this phrase that I read on pinterest out of my mind.

What if you woke up today... with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?

What a long list I have. Thank you, God.

a mom's life

I'm on the PTA this year.
It's a great responsibility. And amazing how this organization of moms gets money raised and things done for the school. They sure know how the system works. I don't understand half of what they're talking about. Just 'smile and nod' is still a good motto for me.
So I'm Beautification...which is totally ironic if you've ever stopped by my house unexpected.

Out of the many ideas I've proposed, one of them is happening soon! Pansy Day for the Kindergarteners. They'll be planting almost 200 pansies around the school grounds, plus a master gardener is coming to talk to them the day before. The idea came from another nearby elementary school that plants 800 every year! I decided to start small, and as I was organizing this, I felt like a project manager for Donald Trump. Definitely been juggling balls around here lately. But it's finally coming together.

Beautification also means hay bales and scarecrows out front in fall. Besides Juan Pablo's pumpkin contest, that's why I've been painting pumpkins for the last week.

Go bulldogs! (Although Isabela informed me that our football team is called the Miners...don't ask, something about school associations.)


I spray painted some tiny pumpkins our school colors, each having a letter to spell out the name of the school....and added this mascot, too. I found the pattern on pinterest. Did I mention I LOVE pinterest? Still do. If you paint your pumpkins, make sure to cover it with varnish so the paint doesn't wash off in the rain.


A busy mom equals lots of coloring on walls...and sometimes on paper.


And I finally gave in and decided to pay someone to clean the house. The kids!

They have a book fair next week and want to buy lots of books. I've posted a list on the fridge with all the chores and their monetary values. Last night they earned a total of six dollars....and I have a clean tub, folded and put away laundry, clean toilets, and shiny mirrors. I'm happy, and so are they.


There's one more thing I finally tried from the elusive mom manual I've always searched for: Listening. I've been struggling for years to figure out behavior charts, rewards, consequences...they're complicated, time-consuming, sometimes expensive.

But the other night, Joaquin told me, "If I knew I was on yellow or red, then I'd stop." My mind screamed, "What?" All this time, and he finally gave me the answer. See the school uses a color system...their card is changed from green to yellow to red, depending on their behavior. Sooooo, we started that here, too.
Ours works like this: Our colors are Green, Yellow, Red, and Black. Every day, they start on green. Outrageous behavior and unkindness will move their color. Kindness and helpfulness can move it back. Ending the day on anything but green will mean an extra chore the following day, for each color past green...so up to three chores. (Yes, Isabela ended on black one day.)

It's working. I'm happy and they're happy. Again.
I might finally be figuring this mom thing out.

Just look at this angel.

ashland berry farm

If it weren't for this hay maze, I don't think my kids would have gone to the pumpkin patch this year. They just weren't interested.


But,....there's nothing like a rope swing to put smiles on their faces.


Not quite as easy as it looks.


If I could find a good branch, I'd definitely put one of these in our yard.


Those were some GIANT pumpkins.


Really, there's only three of them. Why is it so hard to get a shot with all of them?


So we headed out on the hayride. Isabela said, "This is definitely not safe." She's used to the covered wagon with metal sides keeping you from falling out. I know. Spoiled.

Some little people found their pumpkins and fell in love right away. Which also means they're ready to go sooner.


Others combed the fields with a fine toothed comb searching for just the right one.




At one point, I think I stopped Diego from turning the water on in the fields. Ohh, that would have been bad. Although now that I think about it, I'm sure a water tank is hooked up first. But the possibility is still funny.


The trick at this patch was 'all you could carry and take 3 steps with' for $20...the problem was... it was just me and the kids. We did a couple of practice runs in the field. We lost a few in the process, and I had to be rescued once by a nice woman passing by.


It was WAY harder figuring out how to get the nine pumpkins and three kids from the field to the hayride stop, than it actually was carrying them for the special.


Now, I'm not sure how long these pumpkins will last, but rolling them worked.

a cold day for the fair

I love pictures.
They remind you of the fun you actually had, even when you can't remember it.

Like this day at the State Fair. Way to cold. Way to gray.


These kids do not seem happy to be holding such a big cotton candy.


At least one person thought it was real.


Joaquin really played the part here. (FYI, I used the 1960s edit from picnik on these shots.)


So I'm sure they planned it this way, but we definitely got trapped on this circle of food and rides. The whole reason we even went (OK... the whole reason I went) was to see the giant pumpkins, crafts, and farm animals, but we couldn't find any of those the entire time we were there. Really bad maps. Really bad set up.


The bull ride was definitely worth it though. Only, don't do it after you eat. Isabela's face started looking a little iffy for a few minutes. But both kids were able to hang on tight and not fall off.


We hadn't even planned to go on rides. But one look at this, and Diego eyes lit up. How could we say no?


"And that one, too!!"


"OOOOhh, and look over there!"


Isabela and I headed to a row of cut-outs while the boys were on the ferris wheel. But there were no steps! Really?


Someone's happy.


Well, at least this one didn't need a step.


Now, this one was hilarious. As Diego tried to situate himself at the top of this slide, his body started turning and he ended up going down spread eagle, head first. He just laid there like a rag doll and went with it.


And his first ride all by himself!


I wasn't sure this flimsy rope would hold him in.... and he seems to be wondering the same thing.


And the bumper cars. Am I the only one that hates these? I don't think so. They don't go the way you want. You get jammed up with whiplash and spend half your time trying to figure out how to get your car to actually go.


But Joaquin sized it up pretty quick. After his first pile up, he stayed away from the other cars and just did laps around everyone jammed in the middle. Smart boy.


Then there's the fast one. Diego and Joaquin were dying to get on this. To me, it's another one that looks fun, but really isn't. Speeding in a fast circle with you head bobbling around is not for me. Joaquin doesn't look too sure, either. He's a second guesser, like me. Makes a decision, then wonders if it was a good one.


It was.


And their eyes are on to the next one.


So I figured the day was quite a disappointment. No giant pumpkin. No prize cows. No hand-stitched quilts. No turkey leg for Juan Pablo. No cotton candy for the kids.

But I saw some smiles, too. As my camera reminds me, the day was not all lost.

There are good days and there are bad days, and this is one of them. Lawrence Welk

Or this was both of them. -Me.