Lamplighter Ministries' Book Bindery ~ Field Trip Friday

I know!  I haven't even told you about our Steamtown trip yet!  But I really want to share this wonderful unplanned guided tour we experienced in Mount Morris, NY.  I didn't even know this was a thing until I saw this post on The Facebook.

The book bindery is smack dab in the middle between two sets of grandparents.  The folks at Lamplighter very graciously arranged to give us the guided tour within just a couple hours of contacting them.  We headed to the guild house and were met by Oscar, a very kind and patient young man, which is a huge plus with these three punks.  I don't know if you remember, but The Crew reviewed The Secret Bridge earlier this year.  As we walked in the front door, we saw a shelf of hundreds of Lamplighter volumes, and there was The Secret Bridge.  Merrick heard me mention it to Oscar and he shouted, "I didn't know you had a secret bridge!"  Well, there wasn't a real secret bridge, but little did we know, we were going to find out about another "secret."

{Click on any of these pictures to enlarge them!}

We headed toward the back of the lovely old "home" and passed an office where President Mark Hamby sat chatting with a couple of other employees.  Everyone was all smiles and so kind to greet us!  Back a bit farther, we met Peter, the marketing guy.  He and I had a nice chat about The Crew, The Secret Bridge, it's sister book (The Secret Cove), and reading books because our kids want to hear them.  :)  The punks were very curious, but were able to keep their bodies under control.

Next we headed back into shipping where Sarah was busy packaging up books.  Here were more books on shelves.

Then, just as it started to rain, we headed to the old church across the yard.  This is where all the action was.  I admit, I was surprised how small the room was, but it held so much!  Several large pieces of equipment, a few books in various stages of completion, and three lovely, friendly girls working busily.

I'm afraid I've forgotten the name of the girl who walked us through each phase of the book binding process.  First, she showed us the uncut book pages.  Four copies of the same page on each sheet and each book was separated by a yellow sheet of paper.  It was a HUGE stack.  The book title was actually *not* in the catalog we picked up while we were there.  Hmmm....
(ETA: It *is* on the website, though.)

Next we looked at the guillotine which chopped those stacks into four individual books.

We saw how the pages are glued together after being cut.  The machine that applied the glue was so fast I couldn't get a clear picture!

The empty covers were neat to see.  We folded one to see how it would work and noticed it was blank!  There were blue, red, and purple covers in the bindery that day.

The books are stamped for each color, so this was stamped once for black and once for the gold foil.  The spine and the front are done separately.

then the books are laid over the vertical piece in the photo below, coated with a glue, and placed inside the covers.

That's basically it, but it was quite fascinating to watch.  Especially since about half a dozen books in various stages of completion were in the room.

Now we know how the books are made with love and care, but there was more.  We stepped into a hallway and Oscar tried to ask a few questions, but the fans were pretty loud.  I wish we could have finished the conversation there, because once we moved on, it was a lot harder to keep their attention!

First, we walk in and see this amazing sanctuary.  "With books.  Scads of books!  Mountains of books!  Forests of books!  Cascades!"  So beautiful and wonderful.  While I'm agog at all the books, Merrick was quizzing Oscar about the pew kneelers!  We chatted with Oscar some more and I pointed out the gorgeous pipe organ.

That's when he showed us the secret.

Inside this organ, there is a recording studio!  Podcasts are recorded there.  Oscar "interviewed" the punks about their breakfast and told them, if they had been recording a podcast right then, there would be notes on the center table telling them important things like the nutritional information about their cereal and any other things they might need during the show.

Then we got to shop the sanctuary!  It really was overwhelming.  I'd heard of some of the stories available, but there were so many that were unfamiliar.  I was sure a couple of boys would choose Trusty the Train books, and they did!  I selected Teddy's Button on audio so we could listen in the car on the way back to Vermont.  Then I made the wise decision that I needed more help making the rest of my decisions!  Oscar asked some great questions to get a feel for what I was looking for and made some excellent suggestions.  Then it was just Xavier who hadn't chosen a book yet.  He told Oscar he wanted a book for BOYS, that was exciting, and in which no one died.

So, we made our selections and brought them back to Sarah in shipping who rang us up and sent us on our way.  It was a wonderful way to spend part of an afternoon.

Thank you so much, Lamplighter Ministries, Oscar, and everyone else at the book bindery.  You may have an intern from this house in your house someday!

"Scads of books!  Mountains of books!  Forests of books!  Cascades!"

~ Cogsworth and Lumiere ~

X is for X'ed Out

This post makes me so heartbroken to write.  Today, I discovered a photograph that just a couple of days ago had been on the bookshelf by my bed.  It's now a wrinkled mangled mess.  Some very angry/sad/frustrated child was obviously not happy with me.

Micah and I disagree on who is likely the culprit.  I'm sure it will all become clear in the morning.  sigh...

Q is for beQueathing a Legacy

Here we are blogging through the alphabet.  Q is late.  So are a few other letters.  I told you, sometimes the letters are easy, sometimes not so much.  Q was not easy until this week.  Well, with a bit of cheating, Q was easy this week.

This week, my grandma died.  The last of my grandparents.  She has been ailing for a long time.  Had she lived just another month, she would have been NINETY-SEVEN years old.  Someone told me to "cherish the memories" I have of her.  I can't help but juxtapose my memories of this grandma against my memories of my other grandma.  Every person is different and shows love in different ways.  My grandmas were night and day.  One loved to spend time with the grandkids, the other barely seemed to notice us.

When I look back, the one thing I know is that one loved me as much as any human could love another.   And I do not have any idea if the other grandmother had any strong feelings for me one way or the other.

To beQueath something is to pass something from one person to another (generally by a will).

A legacy is a gift left via a will, an inheritance or birthright.

I cannot think of a better gift to leave to your family than for them to know how very much you love them. 

If you think there is any question in the minds of your children or grandchildren that you love them, please take the time to build those relationships.  Don't leave them wondering if, or flat out doubting that, you have real feelings for them.  My boys are so blessed.  They have three sets of grandparents who talk to them and play with them.  We don't see them all the time because of distance, but the time spent is usually pretty high quality.  I don't think a single one of the punks will ever think that they weren't loved by their grandparents.

CrossTimber Name Meaning Gifts ~ A Homeschool Crew Review and Giveaway!

John, Katie, and their homeschooling family run a company called CrossTimber.  I've seen them around before.  I've thought about ordering gifts from them.  But I never did.  I'm actually not sure why, because I always have a little skip of joy in my heart when I find souvenirs with my name on them, *spelled correctly*.  The Homeschool Review Crew members were offered a choice of items from CrossTimber that included the Personalized Framed Plaque with Name Meaning and Bible Verse, among other items.

Usually, with The Crew, we have few if any options; grade level, a particular language, choose one from a small selection...  It's all pretty straight forward and simple.  This time, the sky was the limit.  Well, pretty much.  Some of the choices included the aforementioned framed plaque, coffee mugs, book marks, *music boxes,* plaques with the names of God, first names, last names, TWO names...  Not only did I have to decide what item to get, I needed to figure out who the recipient would be.  You don't see any of the behind the scenes stuff, but The Crew was taking this whole thing all very seriously.  We were bouncing ideas off of each other.  Some of the great gift giving ideas we thought of were baby showers, Christenings, birthdays, graduations, weddings, and coming-of-age celebrations.  Whew!

I even had a nice chat with John on their website, in the little chat box in the lower right corner.  You should go there.  You should chat with them.  Anyway, John asked me to email him some of the names of people I was thinking about presenting the name meaning gift to.  He thought correctly, that if I saw some of the meanings of the names and looked through some of the design images, I might feel inspired. 

I noticed that they really dug deeper than some of the baby name websites out there.  Most places had something lame, like fork (as in a road, not a utensil) and gave a different origin for Merrick's name.  John told me it was Teutonic and meant "ruler of the sea."  We actually did see that on *one* page when we were searching for a name for him, which is kind of why we chose it.  Well, that and maybe the movie Timeline had something to do with it.  John included Isaiah 52:7 for Merrick.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bring good tidings, that publishes peace; that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation; that says unto Zion, Thy God reigneth.

I had similar responses to nearly all the names.  We are excellent baby namers. 

I remember when I was a girl and I headed off to kindergarten (and for years after), I did not like my name.  I thought all the girls had nicer names than mine.  Mom tells me I came home crying one day because my name was terrible.  John's note was a great reminder for me.

Jodi - She who praises.  Proverbs 22:4  By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor, and life.

She who praises.  How could I not love my name?  It's a great reminder. 

I'm not sure now exactly what was said at what point, but I very clearly knew exactly what I would be getting and to whom it would go.  I chose the Two Name Name Meaning Print for Couples and purchased a frame here at home.  Then I sent it on to my Dad and Step-mom for their 40th (!) anniversary.  I thought Harvest Fields made a great background.  We all maybe (yes, still) get a chuckle out of them having the "same" name, but it really doesn't make any difference to us kids.  We all call one or the other or both Mom or Dad.  But there is sometimes confusion with other people.  Usually, people who know them call them Mr. Gene and Mrs. Jean.  The beautiful part about this name meaning print is that their names are the same, but the meanings and verses chosen for each of them were not the same.  It's more like they compliment each other, as halves of a whole.

Aaaaaand I boxed it up and shipped it before I remembered I wanted a picture of it in the frame I picked up.  Luckily, my niece is in cahoots with me and will take pictures for me once they open it.

Waiting...

and it's here!  CrossTimber also sent me individual NameCards for each of them.  You can see them in my dad's hand.  They're about the size and thickness of a playing card and are full color and beautiful.

They loved it and thanked us for such a unique gift!  Know how I know they *really* like it?  It's going to Bible study with them tonight.  Thanks, Dehnart family for such a lovely gift to recognize their 40th anniversary.

A lot of research goes into discovering the encouraging aspects of every name.  Every name.  Not just the more popular names.  Get some insight into this process.  It's quite fascinating how it all happens (and get a mini-language arts lesson on Greek words).  You will learn a lot of interesting information about naming trends, roots, and variations.  Name gifts from CrossTimber are somewhat unique in that you are also provided with a fitting Bible verse. 

You can read the inspiring story about how name meaning research became John's passion.  I just loved it and I could see some of the homeschooled kids I know coming up with something after similar interactions.  Resourceful lot, no?  

You may decide to purchase multiple name meaning gifts from CrossTimber.  It sure wouldn't be unheard of!  A discount is offered for orders of three or more items.

I have chatted with and emailed John several times over the last couple of weeks.  He was happy to provide me with the name meanings for each of my boys, as well as various other family members, with no obligation.  You can tell how enthusiastic the Dehnarts are about inspiring people to see the power and beauty in each and every name.  In fact, asking about a name meaning is one of the ways to enter their Christmas Giftaway.

There will be TEN winners in the Christmas Giftaway!  Winners will receive a free name gift item or a $10 gift certificate.  Selection of winners will take place December 4, 2016.  It's very easy to enter.  Just click on the words above and follow the directions. 

Find CrossTimber on social media.
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/meaning.name/
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/crosstimber

I will leave you with this reminder of God's love for you!

The Moving Wall ~ Field Trip Friday

We actually took this field trip yesterday, Thursday.  But with me, you get what you get.

The Moving Wall is a half-sized replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.  It has been traveling the US for about 30 years.  There are actually two walls now.  I took Dave when he was a young punk.  We went with my dad, who is a Vietnam veteran, and my stepmom.

This time, we headed to Arkport, NY and to the field near Arkport Cycles.  I took Mal, Xav, and Merrick, and we brought my mom along.  It rained early afternoon and I regretted not going in the morning, but I had something else I needed to do in the afternoon not far from there, so I wasn't about to make two trips.  Anyway, when we got there, the rain was long over and the sun was out.  The field was mown so the grass was fairly dry.

I always thought the Moving Wall was huge, actually.  I still think it is.  Xav's first comment was, "It's not that big."  Whatever kid.  First thing most people do is stare at it and take it all in.  Then you just start looking at individual names.  I know from last time that no one in my family or with my family name are on the wall.  I also know The Bigger's family name *is* on the wall, though they doesn't seem to be closely related. 

When you're ready to look for names, there are awesome people there to help you look up names in a giant book.  The information includes their names and hometowns, as well as a block number and a row number to help you find them.  Each piece of the Moving Wall is given a number.  One is at the center with an E or W after it.  The numbers climb higher as you move away from that center point.  Each segment has a different number of rows on it.  Some only have a few rows of names and some have over 100 rows on them.

We checked Daddy's family name and were not surprised to find none.  I wanted the boys to do a rubbing though, so we grabbed an octagon crayon and a couple sheets of their papers.  We just chose random names to rub.  If you can find a name you know, it's much more personal.

Some girls were wandering around with a Wall app on their phones, interrupting the docents who were leading people to the books and explaining the wall.  I was actually very irritated by that.  Those volunteers, many of whom were former military, were so deeply involved in getting the Wall there.  The radiated such a deep respect for it.  I was just flabbergasted that people were so oblivious to the where and the who of the location.

Volunteers arrange the whole thing locally, usually schools, veterans, or other groups.  There were such a nice group of people in Arkport.  They hosted a hospitality tent, manned the books, watched over the wall, and answered lots of questions.

It was really interesting and probably a once in a lifetime visit for most.  Considering we've never been to DC and don't have plans to go, the Moving Wall is a really inspiring substitute.  Check the schedule, and if it's going to be near you, I highly recommend a field trip to see it.

The Pencil Grip, Inc. TOS Review

I knew when I first heard about Kwik Stix from The Pencil Grip, Inc., there were going to be a couple of happy boys at our house.  I didn't realize there would also be a happy mom!  The Kwik Stix 12 pk arrived while Grandma and Poppa were visiting.  They always bring projects to build and toys to play with when they're here.  This time, it was a set of wooden castles and catapults that needed to be painted before they could be played with.  The boys (and grandma) were already painting with the paint pots that came with the castles when the Kwik Stix were delivered.  The table was covered with brown paper, Merrick was wearing an apron, the cups of water and paper towels were out.  You know the drill.

The toughest part about painting like that for the boys is w a i t i n g.  Waiting for the paint to dry between colors when they wanted to paint details.  Waiting for it to dry to play with.  Sometimes being patient is difficult.  We were able to finish up the castles in minutes, compared to a couple of hours.  In no time at all, everything was painted and dried.

At first, we used the acrylic paint in pots, but once the Kwik Stix arrived, we were able to get rid of all of the brown paper, aprons, and paper towels.  The black castle on the left was painted with Kwik Stix.

Kwik Stix look like a glue stick.  You simply remove the cap and twist the tempera paint stick out of the tube.  Apply the paint and twist it right back into the tube.  Recap.  No-mess art and almost zero clean up.  Easy like Sunday morning.  Pause here to sing it.  Feel the mellow.  I'll wait.  The colors are incredibly bright and give great coverage.  The Kwik Stix 12 pk contains red, orange, yellow, two shades of green, two shades of blue, purple, pink, white, brown, and black.  Besides the 12 pack, Kwik Stix comes in a six pack of neons or metallix paints, as well as a basic six pack or a whopping 96-count classroom pack which is eight of each color from the 12 pack.  I did think with thorough coverage, it took two to three minutes to dry completely.  Even though I didn't see 90 second dry time, it was still very reasonable and much faster than regular paints.

Merrick, Xavier, and I have painted on tons of paper, in lots of colors.  We've even layered colors. Merrick has become somewhat notorious for choosing dark colors of construction paper and covering large portions of them with black Kwik Stix.  We thoroughly tested light paint on dark paper, dark on light, layering paints on each other.  When we let the first color dry, there was no problem layering colors without mixing them.

I used Kwik Stix on the cardboard tri-fold when we made our Alan Shepard display corner.  (I wish there had been a gray Kwik Stix for the moon topography.)  Also, I may have finished up *all* of the black stick (which we used in many projects before the tri-fold) by the end of the display board, so the coverage wasn't as thick as I had intended to get it.

Malachi isn't a huge artsy kid.  He just isn't that interested.  He had a big, canvas hoop tent that I picked up at Joann's for 75% off just before Christmas.  (SCORE!)  The kit was intended to be tie-dyed, but when I talked with Mal about how we wanted to decorate it and which colors we would dye it, he was adamant that it should be decorated with trains.  The tent sat in the box for a couple of months while I thought about the best way to decorate canvas.  After the Kwik Stix arrived, Mal decided to use them to paint the train scene from Back to the Future 3 on his tent.  He even ended up drawing a little Doc and Clara hanging off the side of the engine by the time he was done.

At co-op, there hasn't been any chance to paint in Mrs. Blake's art class.  Her class was (I say *was* because last week was the last class of the year!) the last period of the day, so there was no way paint would dry before it was time to leave.  No way paint would dry before Kwik Stix!  I took the pack in for our group one day.  I laid down a few ground rules about not twisting out the entire stick of tempera paint and giving the paint a couple minutes to dry before layering the colors.  The group is about ages 3-7.  They all did a terrific job following instructions and were pretty creative.  Some of them painted the clothespin airplanes we made and some made pictures on construction paper.

When the Kwik Stix arrived, I was also surprised to receive a Pencil Grip in the box.  We actually have a bit of experience with various pencil grips in this house.  Mal has had a time of learning to properly hold a pen or pencil for writing and we've used our fair share of tricks and techniques to help him with that.  The Pencil Grip is a nice, somewhat squishier grip that is suitable for left or right handed people.  The letters R and L mark the section where the user's thumb rests.  The Pencil Grip is recommended by PTs and OTs, and it's definitely the best one we've tried.

There's a page of free informational PDFs about the Pencil Grip on their website.

Find The Pencil Grip on social media.
Website  
Facebook 
Pinterest
Twitter 

Be sure to click on the banner to see more art projects from the Crew!

Week in Review ~ 7/13/14

Win an iPad from Teacher Created Resources.

(I want to win, too!)

    In my life this week…
Beepa (aka Grandma) Char headed home on Monday.  Tuesday, I took the yahoos to Saratoga Springs (the halfway mark to "back home") to pick up Beepa of the Forest and bring her back home with us.  Thursday, Poppa of the Forest came up to stay a couple days and took Beepa back home on Saturday.

    Merrick...
Joined us at school a few days this week.  He is very distracting generally, so I wasn't sure how it would go.  He kept busy counting pompoms and the punks generally kept on task.  Merrick mostly still naps and at least rests, so I won't have to worry about this too much.  I do want to add some morning school at some point.

    Xavier...
Decided to kick up his pancake cooking a notch.  He looked through a kids' cookbook and found these bunnies.

    Malachi... 
Is getting excited to finally get the treehouse put together.  It won't be long now!

    What we're reading... 
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

I'm reading
Hiking Through 

    In the yard... 
We've kept the chickens in the old enclosed garden so they wouldn't dig up the garden in the raised beds.  Now that that garden is doing well, we let them out.  Until I happened to glance at them while I was mowing.  They were literally leaping into the air and eating my blueberries.  They stripped one entire bush!  Now they're back to "free ranging" in the enclosed area.

Micah got stung while mowing.  I haven't decided if he over-reacted or not.  He burned up a bit of yard and a shrub.   

    Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
The single lane bridge is being replaced.  It's one of two ways we can get to town.  I drove to town one day only to discover the other bridge into town was a single lane for repairs.  I'm not sure who decided to repair both bridges at once, but I didn't think it was the best plan of action.

    My kiddos favorite thing this week was…
Surprise fun day for the boys. Woke them up and loaded them into the car. Drove to Saratoga Springs for lunch at McDonald's. They have a play place. The punks thought that was the surprise.
 

My kids are in there.  Somewhere.

Then Beepa and Poppa of the Forest showed up. Their reactions were priceless. Then they found out we were bringing Grandma home with us. But first, I had one more surprise. We stopped at Railroads on Parade! It was a terrific miniature RR display. I highly recommend it if you are in the Saratoga Springs/ Lake George region of NY.

The displays included four seasons, cities, state fairs, and a 50s setup that included a diner and a drive-in, where High Noon was playing.  The whole place cycled through day and night every fifteen minutes or so.  Every "night" the movie would start and go off when the lights came back on.

We even saw Thomas the Tank Engine.  The folks at ROP have a scavenger hunt list.

I really liked this cross section of a city street.

    This week's reviews... 
Schoolhouse Review Crew's HomeSchoolPiano review 

Quilt - Little Boy Fun

My mom made this quilt for The Bigger when he was Merrick's age.  She made a toddler bed for him and this was his first big blanket.  Those tiny little crib blankets are pathetic.  They couldn't be tucked in like the blankets on a regular bed.  When you are in a big kid toddler bed, you need a big kid blanket.

Dave liked astronauts.  This quilt is about 27 years old.  Every one of The Littles have used this quilt.  As you can see, Merrick is pleased to be the latest owner.

Mom hand-tied this quilt and made it with cheery yellow trim.

Quilt 1 - Hippy Chic?

You know what I love about quilts?  Besides the fact that they keep you cozy and warm (which is really kind of an odd thing to be thinking about in July)?  I love that our quilts were made by some of my favorite people.

I shared cocoas with you, the good and the bad.  Now I want to show you our quilts.

The other day, the boys and I were playing a game in the car.  "Punch bug hippy!" I said as I popped Mal on the shoulder.  "What color is that?" he wanted to know.  Well, it was a crazy bright psychedelic, flowery
kind of thing.  You know.  Hippy.

My grandma's quilt is well over 40 years old, probably more like 50+, but I don't really know when she made it.  When my dad came to visit a couple of years ago, I put it on his bed.  My step-mom recognized it right away.  I used to save it, but now I want to enjoy it.  That was the first time in a *long* time I had gotten it out.  What good is a quilt stashed in the cedar chest.  I want people to see it and feel happy.  I put it on guest beds all of the time now.

Gram's quilt is hand tied.  She didn't do the intricate stitching, but I love it anyway.

THMJ Week of 5/4/14

    In my life this week…
We continued our travels this week, returning home on Wednesday.  Spent Thursday unpacking and getting ready for Friday School. 

   In our homeschool this week…
We're still on vacation, so we aren't doing a lot of book work.

    In our homeschool co-op this week... 
LAST DAY OF CLASSES FOR THE YEAR!  
Magic School Bus Science- Magic Schoolbus Goes to Seed.  We planted sunflowers in pots (from the Target Dollar Spot) and put morning glories in a baggie with a paper towel and a bit of water.  I showed them my apple seeds that had sprouted in a baggie.
Wiggles and Giggles - Merrick went to the nursery.
Duct Tape Art- Mal made a bank out of a tissue box and covered a frame with tape.
Amazing Body - Mal was given this "AMAZING" shirt, made by Miss Trish.
Nature - Xav got to collect creatures on a nature walk.  He found an acorn "that still has its hat on."  The class put their treasures in a jar terrarium.
Arts and Crafts - Xav made a mother's day "thing" (his word).
Archery - Xav got to use the bow and arrow, but was disappointed that he didn't get to go outside because it was too windy! 

    In Rangers this week... 
No Rangers

    What we're reading... 
Dad emailed a recording of himself, reading the last chapters of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

    The picture I didn't take, but should have...
Merrick happily stomping in the puddle at Kristi's.

    Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
Sunday - Saige's Birthday Party
I so wanted to visit some of my favorite non-family people this trip.  I messaged them and got myself and the boys an invite to my favorite ten year old girl's birthday party.  This way, I got to see the whole family.  Xav, of course, fell in love.  He always does when they are ten.  At one point, Xav asked, "Where did that beautiful birthday girl go?"  When she heard, she spit on the ground as if to show him she was no beautiful girl.  I love those kids!  Elaine got Mal to warm right up to her.  They went for a little walk together... straight to the trampoline!  Merrick climbed on the playset and Xav joined Mal on the trampoline.  And, oh my goodness! the conversations about cows!  We *live* in dairy country.  You'd think the boys had never seen or heard cows before to hear them talk.

  

Merrick stealing Kait's soda.  She *barely* even noticed!

Monday - maze bridge and lunch
We crossed Corning's maze bridge, which I had hoped might take a bit of time.  Unfortunately, they literally figured it out in seconds and were through it in a minute.  The bigger littles went back and forth a few times.  We popped through the Corning Museum of Glass shop on the way to Corning Inc's Decker building, hoping to see another friend, but she wasn't available.  Merrick had zero interest in walking a single step further.  Well, he pretty much had zero interest in walking all stinking day.  We grabbed the "honeycomb" bus (which is actually CMoG's bus that runs around Corning taking people from parking lots to the Glass Museum and the Rockwell Museum of Western Art and historic Market Street and back to the parking lots) and took it back to the other side of town then headed to Bob Evans for lunch.  Mal thought the sign was Bab Evens.
 

Tuesday - Ithaca Science Center
This science center in Ithaca, NY is INCREDIBLE!  I'm writing a field trip post all about it.  Don't worry.  Merrick was only unhappy until we got inside!

 Heading home...
Single lane of traffic in Binghamton.  Speed limit 45.  Or zero.

Lunch at the rest area where I realized I left all our bread at Mom's.  But we had fruit and chips.

Saw three helicopters.

The eggs seemed surprised to see me at home.

    Things Dad is working on...
The house.  In secret.  While no one was there to interfere.  This is kind of what the boys came home to, except it was neater when we got back!

    In the yard...
Micah and the boys made the most of the day Saturday, before we headed out again on Mother's Day.  Two raised beds and all the dirt to fill them had to be moved closer to the house.  There was lots of "help."

Xav surprised Micah with a mid-afternoon picnic for the two of them.  Micah kindly took a break to spend some 1:1 time with him.  I think someone missed Dad.  The cat came over and had to butt in. 

The chickens got to run around free for the first time.  Some boys need to learn not to chase them.  (I will be so glad when those bushes start to look spring-like.)

    Out of the mouths of boys... 
On Saturday, Xav was asking what we were going to do.  Micah told Mal and Xav that he and I had decided on double school since they had been on vacation for so long.  Xav said, "No! We can't.  Today is the Sabbath!  No one can work on the Sabbath."  Apparently, the whole weekend is now a work free zone.

    This week's reviews...
Schoolhouse Review Crew Maestro Classics (including my own)
Schoolhoouse Review Crew Logic of English (including my own)