Reading Realized

We signed up for the public library's summer reading program again.  This requires the children to have 25 books read to them.  My kids, I mean "I", was up to the challenge.  We have been trying to move books into our daily lives, not just at bedtime, lately.

Something we did different this year was not just reading the books but making the experience more vivid.

For instance, we read Hey, Pancakes! a few times and then one morning when we had fresh blueberries for the farmer's market, we made pancakes.  In the book, the kids get big stacks so this time I made them smaller and we stacked the cakes.  The kids had fun counting the pancakes.  I read it a couple more times during breakfast. It has a lot of cute rhyme to it and great illustrations.  Later, the kids dressed in aprons and made pancakes for me at the play kitchen. They pretended to flip the cakes in the pan.  I am too big a coward and just use a spatula in real life.

Flipping with gusto

Counting pancakes in the stack

Cleaning the dishes

On another day we opened Eric Carle's Little Cloud.  We talked about the different types of clouds and went out side to see what we could find.  Then we laid out a blanket and just looked up at the sky and tried to see what shapes the clouds made.  The kids imagined they saw a clam, dragon, fish, and duck. I must say clouds are quite conducive to making animal forms.

I also pulled an oldie but a goodie that Grandma Sue used to do with Neal and Kira when they were kids. I let them touch a fluffy cloud by spraying shaving cream on the table.  This was good sensory play and Sophie got to practice writing letters in it.

We also read excerpts from The Magic Crocodile and Other Folktales from Indonesia told by Alice M. Terada.  We tried to pick short and simple stories that our children would appreciate even if they did not catch the moral.

We gave the kids a chance to see Indonesia on a map and then we showed them pictures of Marie, Neal's paternal Oma (grandma), who was born there.  We explained that she was from that country and told stories about her.  She is in her 80s and quite a character and a woman.  We love her very much and want our kids to know her too.

Marie with her son, Rudy (Neal's father) on our wedding day.

Another time we read The Big Brown Box by Marisabina Russo.  It is a good story about using your imagination and learning to respect and interact with others during play.  There is an older brother who does not want his little brother to ruin the fun he's created in his box.

We saved up a few boxes of our own for this one.  We had fun making windows and coloring them and making them into something new, some of which were not even mentioned in the story.

Also, now that the summer Olympic games are underway, we have been referring to Hello World! Greetings in 42 languages Around the Globe! by Manya Stojic.  On occasion we see an athlete or team playing and look up how they would say "hello."  Obviously, not all languages are available but sometimes we get lucky.

The kids brought their reading logs back this week.  Sophie practiced her writing throughout summer by writing words from the title of her reading books for the log.  She was motivated because she knew the library would give her a prize when she turned in the list.  And that they did.

Both Sophie and Rhys received certificates of completion and got to pick out a free book from the library for keeps!  Also, they are pretty excited for the treat coupons they earned.  Good job, kiddos!

Let the Family Olympic Games Begin!

We are so excited for the Olympics this summer!  We have been familiarizing the kids with information here and there to get them ready or at least get them a clue.

First we talked about what the Olympic was and showed them the Olympic rings.  We finger painted  a banner of the rings the rings.  We also watched a video on the mascot for the London 2012 Olympics and included "Wenlock" on a banner.  The banners went up starting the Monday before opening ceremonies.

That morning we also watched a couple YouTube videos of people passing the torch.  We looked at maps online and talked about where the first Olympics were held and where the flame is from.  We tracked how far the torch would travel to London.  Then we colored tissue paper, wrapped a toilet paper roll with foil and created the van der Upwich Family Olympic torch.

Later that night, for Family Home Evening, we met with family friends, the Allredges, at our first Olympic venue.  I taught a lesson on sportsmanship and said we could anticipate seeing both good and bad examples while watching this year's games. 

After the lesson we officially started our family Olympic games by passing the torch all the way around the backyard pool that was being shared with us.  Then we took on our first sport--diving...which led to rope swinging and water sliding.  It was a great pool. Sophie, by far, was the diving diva.

We finished up the evening with Olympic ring bagels and received our medals.

Throughout the remainder of the week we tried our hand at other Olympic worthy sports like...
Fencing!  We learned that we were to only strike the torso, that we must demonstrate priority (attacking while making the hit), and to start a duel we use the French, "En Garde Pret Allez" which means, "Start Fencing!" curiously enough.  We bought the foam swords at the dollar store a few days prior and Sophie has been dying to use them.  We all scored points and had fun. Both kids made outstanding attempts of using their French.

Should Rhys be disqualified for this low blow?

Shooting!  Sure, officially the Olympics has rifle, pistol, and shotgun; but, we believe that is only because they forgot the always popular water canon.  We avoided clay shooting for this introductory event and stuck with stationary targets: cardboard toilet paper rolls.

Which inevitably led to water fights!

And on our last day of our Family Olympic Games we tried track cycling minus the velodrome.  The driveway made for a poor substitution but we still had fun.

The van der Upwich Family Olympics came to a close as the actual Olympics began opening ceremonies.  We invited the Goode family over for dinner and watched the program while eating Carly's delicious molasses cookies.  The commentary coming from the couch beat most of the journalistic jabber on TV.

Here's to all the athletes, their support teams, and family.  May they all play safe and do their personal best.  Hope everyone enjoys the games and all that they represent.

Previous Quote of the Blog

Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the drug store, but that's just peanuts to space. --Douglas Adams

Pun Intended

"Thanks for keeping the "SPICE" in our anniversary trip by taking in our kids."

"Thanks a "BUNCH" for keeping an eye our fur child."

The kids and I just finished dropping off our little tokens of gratitude for those who watched over our children.  We are still so appreciative of their kindness.

10th Anniversary Get-Away

Being married has been a lot of fun, work, ups, and downs for both of us.  Marriage is a great place to grow and learn to love yourself and others better.  No wonder it's ordained of God. 

Neal and I happily celebrated 10 years of marriage this past week.  We eagerly dropped our kids off for a line up of wonderful friends and family to watch over them and that they did.  Then we jumped in the car and made our get away.

Our destination was Hot Springs, AR with a little stop first.  We made it to Hope, AR for dinner and made a quick visit to President Clinton's birthplace.  He lived his boyhood in Hot Springs. 

Then on to Mursfreeboro, AR, population 1,638.  We got lucky at the Shamrock Motel.  Did I just say that?! 

This place made us laugh for all it's idiosyncrasies: the flashing, rainbow, neon sign, the large, metal dragon sculpture above the entryway fountain, which was decorated with faded ficus trees partially submerged,

the piped in music to be heard while sitting anywhere outside, the water slide with its descent so gentle even a child had to pull himself along (yes, I did it),

our sink fixture with two C knobs, one much larger than the other, a very large waste paper basket in the bathroom, a dead cricket, the timed and continuous air freshener spray (we turned off for want of fresh air), the continental breakfast of store-bought bags of mini donuts and so forth.  Hey, you get what you pay for and we were putting our money into the next two nights lodging.

Although very endearing, we had to move on the next morning to Crater of Diamonds State Park.  See, we took one of those touristy sign photos just for you.

A few years back Neal and I were watching some travel show and it featured this place and I thought, "People do that?" and Neal said, "I want to do that."  And here, on our anniversary, we did that.  It was good, not-so-clean fun.  We rented the inexpensive equipment and walked out on the dirt until our diamond senses tingled and there we filled our bucket, thrice. 

We had a great time learning how to mine diamonds but only collected a few nice pieces of jasper, quartz, and what not.  It was more fun just to listen to the families and friends talk to each other about how silly it all was.  We spent quite a bit of time out there but thanks to clouds, sunscreen, and a covered  area we beat the heat.

Then we were off to Hot Springs, to stay at the 1884 Wildwood B & B, a real treasure. 

This is what awaited us!  The King David Room even had the original claw foot tub, first in the county, at the time the house was built, that even Neal could stretch out in.

The innkeepers, David and Rebecca, were just wonderful!  They were open, down-to-earth, knowledgeable, and obviously loved what they were doing.  They gave us all the information we needed to get started in town.  Once settled we headed off to the Fordyce Bath House in historic downtown to get the history of the place and see what facilities drew people from all over the country.  It felt very clinical and the services offered back then seem barbaric today: mercury rubs and injections to treat syphilis and hydro-electric baths to maintain good circulation of blood supply to weak or paralyzed sections of the body--all by doctors prescription, mind you.

Above is the enclosed hot spring that is under the bathhouse providing all that steamy mineral laden goodness to the masses.  It is enclosed because fools, despite the bubbling and steaming, feel they must touch the water to see how hot it is.  It reduce the cases of blistering and burn caused by the 140 degree F water, most are covered up.

Along the street are several fountains with still very hot water to sample and touch.  They, however, have had some time to cool but still make you think "ouch" when giving your hand a quick dip.  Neal actually timed dipping his hand for this picture so he would not get too uncomfortable.  It is that hot.

After seeing some of the fountains open to the public we ventured into the Museum of Contemporary Art for an artist's reception and were able to view all of the museums works without charge.  We were, in particular, impressed with the all leather sculptures of  Liu Miao Chan.  He had very humble beginnings and did not even have money for pencil and paper.  He eventually gained an education and his work is well sought after.  Some pieces are nearly to scale.  The expressions he creates are so life like.  We were so impressed and loved seeing what was a new medium for us.

After dinner at a Mexican/Cuban restaurant that did a very nice job of presentation and flavors we headed back to the inn, grabbed some homemade brownies and cookies for the taking, and enjoyed the rest of our evening upstairs.

In the morning we enjoyed breakfast with two other couples and chatted for some time.  Breakfast included a chocolate muffin sundae-no joke!

Then Rebecca, our host, took us all on a guided tour of the house.  She has been fortunate enough to have several resources to pull from regarding the history on the house, including the diary of the woman of the house, letters from the woman's daughter and son, newspapers, and first hand stories from grandchildren.  She did a fantastic job and it was fascinating.  Not only the information on the house itself but the family and the culture of the area at it's hay day.  She even shared stories of the housekeeping servants.  She told us what the current day owner's "some day" plans were for the house.  She showed us the servants quarters and unfinished sections of the house.  It was all so delicious and really made the stay special and the history real.

Dining Room w/ stained glass

Hand carving done by the lady of the house on built-in buffet in dining room.  E for Elsworth.

The house servants used this system (like two cans on a string) to communicate.  First they'd cup their hands and blow to create a whistle to get the other's attention.  Then they could speak and listen through it.

Stain glass designed by the lady of the house, Sarah, in honor of her husband.  The glass is buckling under it's own weight and will cost $8-10 thousand to save.

Also designed by Sarah E., this window indicates what is important to her.  This one is less warped because it gets less direct sunlight.

Just look at the wood work on the staircase and ceiling (done by the best at the time - Pullman Co.).  This staircase is in the Queen Anne style, contrasting the rest of the house which is Victorian.  Each room showcased a different wood, much of which was cut on their land and treated in the basement until ready for use.  The house cost $40K back in 1884 which was like millions today.

Original etched glass doors in the front entry way.

Men's Parlor which tiles Sarah E. hand painted with sweet pea and birds

Servants quarters, currently used for storage, were large for that time.  Treat the help right and you keep them.  These will some day be guest rooms as well. When looking out the windows from here you really get a feel for the heighth of the house, better even than from looking up from the grounds.

After the amazing tour, we took off for a short 1.75 mile hike above the hot springs to a nice look out point, Goat Rock.  We have yet to see the goat in the rock but perhaps there was some other reason for the name. We did see two lizards and a tortoise on our hike!  And a deer on our drive back to town.  Happily all living!

We love kissy pictures!

The drought in the area is so bad that it is already starting to look like autumn the locals say.

Our hike was not strenuous, still be felt the need to get a first hand experience of the historic Buckstaff Bath House to rest our muscles.  We did it more for the historic value rather than the spa experience and that was good because they were pushing people through and the service was not overly indulgent.  We did get a whirlpool bath in the hot mineral waters, a steam bath in one of these old contraptions, a needle shower (which just shoot water at you sideways along your entire body but not with needle like pressure), hot packs, refreshing icy cups of mineral water, and a 30 minute Swedish massage.  It was a fun experience but next time we will spend the extra money and go next door for the "spa" treatment.

 After Italian food at a casual restaurant, we headed back to the B & B to spoil ourselves with brownies and cookies once more and watch a movie in our room.

In the morning we dined with four other couples and enjoyed another decadent 3 course breakfast.

 After quite a long while of enjoyable chatting we loaded our car and left for home.  We took a short stop at one of the jug filling stations to fill our water bottles with the local "elixir" and made it home to pick up our babies who were exhausted by days of fun with friends and family.  They fell asleep on the way home and gave Neal and I yet another evening to relax.  Too bad they won't let us sleep in tomorrow.  That was a real pleasure we'll miss.

Can't wait to see how we celebrate our 20th Anniversary!