The Renaissance Festival

Pin It Now! President's Day would have ordinarily been a school day for us, but since Mark was off we decided to go on what we thought would be a fun and educational field trip.

Weeks ago Mark brought home a pamphlet advertising the annual Renaissance Festival, which immediately got my attention since we spent the first semester in history studying that very subject. I thought it would be the PERFECT way for our family to have a fun day together while calling it a field trip at the same time!!! According to the little advertisement , the festival looked like a very family friendly atmosphere, so I was game.

Some of the first sights were of cute little shops and folks dressed up according to that specific time period. Unfortunately most woman were going a bit too far with the whole tight corset thing. Judging by this particular event, I would have to make the assumption that most women from the Renaissance were floozies, but anyway, trying to get past all that we decided to see our first "show".

Shows without the "LC" label (Loose Canon) were supposed to be suitable for children, so obviously we picked one without the "LC". It was supposed to be a pirate show, which we thought the boys might enjoy. Oh my, there really wasn't anything pirate-y about it except for the dress and burly accents. It was more of a stand up comedy act with coarse joking--not family friendly in my book. Poor Mullin, I could tell he just wanted to get out asap. So, trying not to make too much of a scene, we skedaddled the heck out of there. I guess what really offends me is that so many people think that the only entertainment pleasing to adults has to be crude. Bleh.

Honestly, our spirits were soaring into a deep dark pit and fast, but we decided to try and make the best of a not so wonderful experience, so how could we go wrong with rides? The cool dragon wrapped around the castle is actually a slide. After paying for Lincoln to go up, he chickened out. Oh well. Okay, moving on...

Shiloh and I had a magnificent time on the big horsey. Score!!!!

The jousting tournament proved to be interesting as well. All I could think about was how hot those actors must have been in those suits of armor!!!!

After the jousting, we were beginning to get hungry, and poor Shiloh was coughing a lot. But the kids wanted to go on just a few more rides...



Mullin was inspired by the previous event, so he took a stab at some jousting himself.

Lincoln thought this looked fun, too. It is much harder than it looks. I think there was a ring or something they were supposed to capture with their lance.

Last, Lincoln and Shiloh rode the Leonardo Da vinci. Mullin was first to notice the backwards handwriting, which Da vinci was known for. Okay, good. He is paying attention in history!!!



Lincoln and Shiloh pulled on the ropes to make the wings flap. Hmmmm. A ship with wings. And round and round they went. Faster and faster! Whee, what fun!

Well, we did our best to make lemonade with the enormous lemon we'd been handed, but I will admit, I think the Renaissance is better left in the book. That will definitely be our last trip to the festival.

By the end we were starving, so we relaxed and ate between the familiar, beautiful, golden arches. Nothing beats those classic cheeseburgers and french fries!!! Mark captured our visit on his camera phone, and of course, those photos were immediately uploaded to facebook for all to see.

Sacrifice

Pin It Now! I've got some time to kill right now since I am one of those moms who actually watches my toddler while they play outside. Tired of perusing facebook, so I am just sitting here thinking. Thinking about all that has taken place in the last few months. I know I have already written a little about our economic adventure, but it's an ongoing process.

Sacrifice. The sacrifices my boys are having to make is mostly what I am thinking about at this very moment. Shiloh is too young to know what is going on, but the boys aren't. Compared to the rest of the "poor" in other parts of this world, our sacrifices are minuscule, I know, but the sacrifices my boys are making are real to them. As their mom, I deeply care, but hopefully the trials they are facing now will develop their character for later. Kids born with silver spoons hanging out of their mouths usually end up as selfish little brats and even worse as adults.

Allowance. Since October my boys haven't been getting any, not that they received a whole lot then, but it was at least something. It was a way for them to save up for a few months and be able to add to their Star Wars collection. They have both been very understanding and haven't really complained at all. They know that they are still expected to do their chores even without the hopes of a reward, at least not one in the form of cash. It warms my heart to see them acting so maturely over this matter. I hope we can make it up to them in the future!!!

Sports. Spring has sprung here in the desert. Weather is absolutely gorgeous. Baseball sign ups happened not too long ago but not for us. I honestly don't think Lincoln is all that upset about it, but Mullin was pretty disappointed. I know that in the long run, sitting out for a season won't be that big of a deal. As a parent, I really appreciate how Mullin is handling things. He acts so grown up for his age!!!

We are all definitely learning how to be content even with little. Even though I don't wish for our current circumstances to stay the same, I can honestly say it has done my soul some good. Hopefully our boys will remember this time in our lives and how their mommy and daddy handled it. For it's not horses and chariots we put our trust in, it's in God Almighty, and I truly believe He has our lives in His hands.

Guess that is it for now. Need to dunk dirty Shiloh in the tub before I start dinner.

Lovin' This Quote!!!

Pin It Now! This one is for all the fiction lovers out there!!!!


"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."
------G. K. Chesterton


I much prefer fiction over non-fiction. Let's just hope I don't end up on the streets one day as confused as Don Quixote.

I couldn't possibly imagine calling myself "Grandma" in 2 years

Pin It Now! I was a bit shocked about hearing this news, but not really, since I actually knew of a similar situation where I used to live. I could rant and rave about this very topic but would probably end up with both my feet in my mouth. Vicki already said beautifully what I was thinking anyway, so I will leave it at that.

One of THOSE Weeks

Pin It Now! I have had better days. The kids have had slightly runny noses, irritating, hacking coughs, and low grade temps all week. Sick enough to not be able to play outside but feeling well enough to still have plenty of energy. :( Shiloh was sick enough to wake me up at all hours of the night but well enough the next day to be a constant pest to her brothers. The sibling rivalry had my blood boiling and my nerves about to explode off the face of the earth!! The kids just seemed to be talking back more, whining more, and irritating me more than normal. It seemed like all I was doing was disciplining instead of enjoying my kids. By the time Friday rolled around I was just ready to give up. (It might be appropriate to insert here that I didn't have any good hormones left this week either, which never helps the sticky situations.)

I really do love being a sweet Mama, so I truly tried to redeem the failure of a week by doing some fun things with my kids. The day still didn't turn out perfectly, but we did manage to squeeze in a few happy moments.

Shiloh having fun making ink blots

Mullin helped make a home made apple crisp. He found the recipe in a book about Tennessee. He's been working on a research paper about his home state all week.

We ended the day with a game of Snorta given to us by Pa and Cece. It was the first time we played, and it turned out to be a real hoot!! I highly recommend it if you need a good reason to laugh!

Daddy picked a dog---what was your sound again?

Some serious belly laughs!!

We tried to include Shiloh the best we could, but she really isn't old enough to play yet. She had fun setting up the animals and barns.

Let's hope next week is much better...

Bet You Would've Paid Money to See This

Pin It Now! I had no idea when I went shopping with my mom yesterday that I was going to be providing the entertainment at Michael's. I bet all those crafty folks are still talking about my stellar, on-the-spot performance. ;)

So, I am walking and talking to my mom totally NOT paying any attention to what's in front of me until my cute, open-toed shoe smacks the big, fat curb, and before I have time to react and gain composure of myself, my hands and almost face have a not-so-friendly encounter with the pavement!!! Besides my pride being shattered, my favorite and only pair of sunglasses broke in the fall. I've got a tiny boo boo on my left pointer finger, too.

I might as well be driving with a blindfold on if I am not wearing sunglasses. So after my Mom finished at Michael's it was straight to Target to replace my broken ones. I liked my cheap, brown sunglasses with a bit of bling, and Target didn't have anything that resembled my old shades. Okay, so BIG may be the in thing, but personally I don't like looking like a giant dragonfly. I finally had to settle on a medium sized pair b/c I had to be able to safely drive myself home. Mark says I look like a movie star with them on. Well, I guess that is better than a bug with those gigantic compound eye things. It will take some getting used to but they get the job done.

Oh goodness, laugh if you must. It was rather hilarious. I laugh every time I see someone fall on America's Funniest Home Videos. There is just something funny about seeing someone BUST!!!! I guess I can add this one to My Most Embarrassing Moments list.

Now, if you are really one of my friends you're going to make me feel better and tell me, "Oh yeah I remember the time that happened to me too!" right?

My Valentines

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The Ragamuffins made Valentine cookies on Friday. All natural, organic, wheat sugar cookies from a box--$.99 after Christmas special. Really, they were very tasty!!

For the past decade, I have made Taco Heart Ring for Valentine's Day. It is a yummy Pampered Chef Recipe. That heart coffee mug in the center of the Taco Heart is old!! Mark gave it to me on our very first Valentine's Day in 1995. (Look familiar, Vicki??)

My two handsome boys got haircuts on Valentine's Day. One wasn't too happy at first, but I think he is okay now.

My poor Sweet Sue has been a bit sick for the past couple of days, but she still didn't mind posing with her Mama!




Last but not least--me and my sweet Valentine who gave me that lovely heart mug!!

Worse Than Raw Chicken

Pin It Now! I don't like touching raw chicken with my bare hands. I think there might be something worse, though, and I found it in my shower's drain this afternoon.

I clean pretty regularly, but I usually forget to clean the hair out of my drain. I almost gagged when I pulled out the matted mess. Thankfully I was wearing heavy duty gloves. Bleh!

To someone standing a few feet away, it would have appeared to be a dead house cat that I was pulling out. Seriously, it was a wad of hair that would have made Crystal Gale jealous. If it hadn't been for the gunk and goo clinging to it, I could have donated it to charity.

How in the world can so much of my hair fall out? Makes me sad to think that I really could have thick, beautiful hair if it would just stay intact. In a few years or so, I will probably look like Gollum. Sigh.