15 Miles on the Erie Canal

Sunday October 19, 2008

This is a 3 day post...keep scrolling down to read more.

There was frost on the ground this morning when we woke up. But it warmed up nicely as we went to Schutts Apple Mill . We got lots of apples and Grammy and Bompa made apple sauce with the kiddos. I will post pictures of that tomorrow.

After Schutts we went to Wickham Farms for a train ride, a tractor pulled hay ride and a walk through a three-acre corn field maze. What a great day!

We are having a great time here and we are sad that our vacation is coming to an end, but we really really miss daddy and we can't wait to get home to see him!

Saturday October 18, 2008

Here's a picture from my Gram's 80th birthday party. Happy Birthday Great Gram!!


Friday October 17, 2008

I had a great morning with Aunt Pat. We went to lunch at Maria's Mexican Restaurant. Dare I say it is the best Mexican Restaurant in the States. No Tex-Mex here...just good fresh food. Cousin Dana joined us and after lunch we headed back to their house where Dana gave me my first Recorder lesson. Now I am excited to get back and start teaching myself and Annie to play. I just needed that boost...Thanks Dana!

(Grammy and Annie on the Erie Canal)

Later that day went to Fairport, NY with Grammy and Bompa to see the scarecrow festival, the Fairport Lift Bridge and the Erie Canal. Last summer we spent a lot of time exploring the canal history. I love the history of this area. It is so old and I love that the Erie Canal is partially responsible for opening the westward expansion of this country. Rochester also has a rich history of abolishinists and civil rights activists. Rochester was home to Frederick Douglas and Susan B. Anthony as well as many good families who opened their homes to the underground railroad. The house my Gram grew up in was part of the underground railroad. How awesome is that!!

(Bompa and Emerson on the Erie Canal)
"Low Bridge, Everybody Down (The Erie Canal)" by Thomas S. Allen, 1905

I've got a mule, and her name is Sal,
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal.
She's a good ol' worker an' a good ol' pal,
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal.
We've hauled some barges in our day,
Filled with lumber, coal, and hay,
And we know every inch of the way
From Albany to Buffalo.

Apple Picking

Today we went to Great Grandma DeClerck's house in Conesus, NY. We loved the beautiful ride through the country to get there. We picked apples from Great Grandma's apple trees. We are planning on making something with them. I'm not sure what yet, possibly simply baked apples.

(Great Grandma's street)

(Conesus Lake)

After Bompa got out of school we met him, Great Gram Kindig and Aunt Carol at Powers Farm Market in Pittsford for a haunted hay ride and a walk through the huge teepees made from corn stalks. We got some fresh fried cakes, some yummy concord grapes, maple sugar candy and cooking pumpkins from the market store.

(Can you believe how tall this corn stalk teepee is?)

Fun in the Leaves!

Or as Emerson says, "Fun in the leaf-es."

We have only been in Rochester in western New York for one day and wow what a blast we've had already. The trees are ablaze with color. I've tried to take some pictures from the car while driving and some of them actually aren't too bad.

This morning we visited my Gram. Aunt Nancy took us on a tour of her vegetable garden. This is no small garden, she has over 100 cucumber plants, 30 tomato plants, a ton of carrots, green bell peppers, asparagus, strawberries, green beans, broccoli, and our favorite raspberries. The kids had so much fun picking as much of everything that they wanted. Aunt Nancy was so pleasant to be around. She is such a different person when she is in her garden. She told the kids all about her gardening techniques and how she even keeps her carrots in the ground in the winter covered with hay and snow to keep them warm so she has a fresh supply of carrots all winter and she explained how she always lets a section of her garden go to weed each year to replenish the nutrients in the soil. The kids had a great time.

After Great Gram Dorothy's house we went Grammy and Bompa's house to pick up Grammy and headed to Ellison Park for a picnic lunch. My little people were so excited they ran straight down the big hill where mommy and daddy used to go snow sledding when we were kids. When they got to the bottom of the hill they played in freshly fallen leaves. They sledded in the leaves and made piles and jumped in the leaves and made leaf beds and were truly joyful.

After the leaf playing we continued down the hill to the little bridge that goes over Irondequoit Creek. We had a lovely picnic lunch under a magnificant beech tree. After lunch Annie asked if she could soak her feet in the creek. So off came the boots and socks and in the creek they went. We didn't snap any pictures. Grammy and I were too busy making sure the little people didn't get carried away by the current and the water got deep very close to where they were frolicking.

After Emerson's nap we went out to dinner with Great Gram, Uncle Kevin, Aunt Pat, Rebecca and Gramma Jan.

What a great day! Filled with family and the familiar smell of fresh fallen leaves.

Annie Rides Her Bike!!

I'm so proud of Annabelle, as she has just learned how to ride a bike without training wheels!

For a few weeks, Annie would practice 'coasting' around the driveway without any pedals or training wheels on her bike. I promised her that she could take her time and tell me when she was ready for pedals. I also promised her that when she learned to ride with pedals that we would go to the store and buy a bike bell.

Michelle put the pedals back on the bike the other day and Annie practiced coasting around again for a few days. Not long after that, on the day of this video, she told me she was ready to try to pedal. She wanted me to hold on to her, but I told her that she already knew the hard part (balancing). A few minutes later, without any pressure or coaxing, she rode around the driveway by herself! Completely hands-off training!

I'm so proud of you Annie! Oh, and by the way, she did pick out a bike bell, and Emerson got to choose the celebration ice cream!

Love Daddy

Toy Web Sites

Here is a list of some stores that I have come across that have some toys, art and craft supplies that appear to be a safe alternative to some of those manufactured in China.

This is not a comprehensive list and I am not guaranteeing that these stores are "safe".

I will be adding to this list periodically and please add a comment with the links of any of your favorite stores.

www.enkisupplies.com

www.threesisterstoys.com

http://www.novanatural.com/

http://www.willowtoys.com/

http://www.bellalunatoys.com/index.htm

http://www.thesilverpenny.com/index.html

http://www.rainbowturtle.com

http://www.playstoretoys.com

http://www.atoygarden.com

http://stores.achildhoodcherished.com/StoreFront.bok

http://www.maplelandmark.com/

http://www.terrapintoys.com/

http://www.seasonsnaturaltoys.com/servlet/StoreFront

http://www.tagtoys.com/index.php

http://www.thetoymaker.com/

http://www.wunderworkstoys.com/

http://www.doodletowntoys.com/StoreFront.bok

http://www.dollhousetoys.com/

http://www.chickorywoodproducts.com/truck-product.html

http://www.littletikes.com/toys/made-in-the-usa-toys.aspx

http://www.woodentoysbydave.com/index.html (he has not responded to my email regarding his products)

No More "Toys Made in China" in My Home

No More "Made in China" in my home

I'm ANGRY because...

Last year it was pet food, this year it is baby formula.

Melamine. Office white boards are made of this stuff, the inside of shower stalls are made of this stuff. Apparently it increases the protein content of tested foods and it kills babies.

I am so angry with Chinese business right now. I am torn by a love for her people and ancient culture and a pure hatred for many of the Chinese manufacturers especially when it comes to products for my kids and even her own children. For a long time now there has been controversy over Chinese toys and lead paint. I subscribe to the consumer products safety commission cpsc.org and weekly there are children's items that are being recalled for lead paint or other dangers. I just can imagine how many dangerous products are not recalled. I think we are partially to blame as many American companies have shipped their manufactuing to China and many Americans refuse to pay the higher costs for things that are made close to home. (I am completely guilty of this).

I'm sure many of the people of the world feel this way about us, about my country for various reasons and I have to be careful and not hate the Chinese people. But I can hate the business practices of some of their businesses.

Although I love Chinese culture and her people, I am deciding to let no more "made in china" toys, jewelry, or anything that my babies are in contact with into my house.
Having said that I will be posting a list of some online stores that I hope are safe. And some of these have toys and such that are even made in the USA.

Here's some articles on the melamine in baby food...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/world/asia/16milk.html?ref=worldbusiness
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7609734.stm

I Live With Fish!

We have found a great swimming instructor. He is really patient and fun. And the kids respond well to him. They are both swimming!!!

Grammy really wanted to see the kids swimming. Here's some video from this morning for you Grammy!


Yes, Mr. Matt has chickens and the Rooster likes it when the kids do the dolphin.


Annie practicing free-style.


Annie swims the length of the pool through a hoop.


This time with no hoop.


Emerson swimming free-style through the hoop.


Emer's through the hoop again and Mr. Matt has silly sneezes!

Why I love China and Her People....

I am just so angry. I can't think straight.

I love Chinese culture, I regularly use Chinese medicine and acupuncture and I have deep respect for the Chinese people. When I was a kid my dad lived in Toronto and he had many sweet Chinese women and men working with him. I was fascinated by the rhythm of their language, the antiquity of their culture, and their food. I was simply fascinated by them, the color and straightness of their hair, their small stature and their warm smiles. I loved going out to lunch with these wonderful people. I liked how they all shared each others food, poured tea, and used chop sticks (which I still have not mastered...I always felt wrong and embarrassed when I asked for a fork). I loved passing through China Town, nearly running to keep up with my dad's long strides, as I took it all in. Listening to my dad's loving commentary, looking at the dragon and Buddha statues. I remember being repulsed by the featherless ducks hanging in the butchers window but loving the sweet juicy taste of the exotic lychee nuts.

I have spent a lot of time sharing and learning about China and her people with my darling children. Check out these posts on our blog.
Chinese Lion Dance
Kung Hei Fat Choi
China Town Center

So why am I so angry?

Sculpting

Several weeks ago we read the beautiful Enki Education version of the Native American folk tale "Jumping Mouse" about a mouse who sacrifices his eyes and his nose until he soars on the winds of the sky. We sculpted it in fragrant bees wax. It is a truly a pleasurable multi- sensory experience -- one that I highly recommend trying with kids over 4 (maybe even older). Annie sculpted the "J's", the mouse, the river, the river stones and the wolf. I helped out with the frog and the buffalo.

Today we said goodbye to our Jumping Mouse scene and sculpted Grimm's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Annie shaped the "D" for dwarf, Snow White with her red cheeks, and 4 of the 7 dwarfs (I love their long beards) .



This past Sunday was Museum Day in Austin. Many of the museums were free and offered special activities for children. We chose to go to Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum. We toured the sculpture gardens and had the chance to make our own sculptures. It was a very grounding experience for all of us. We were extremely relaxed when we left.

Tagged!

I've been tagged byTreeoflifemusings.blogspot.com


Rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.


p.123:
She had a daughter called Yeh-Shein, who from childhood was intelligent and good at making pottery on the wheel. Her father loved her. After some years the father died, and she was ill-treated by her stepmother, who always made her collect firewood in dangerous places and draw water from deep pools.

From Enki Grade One Fairy Tales. "Yeh-Shein" a fairy tale from China.

mhergert.com/family
traceyhuguley.blogspot.com
treeoflifehomeschool.com (but she tagged me)
cagefreefamily.com


honestly, I only regularly read these 4 blogs....