Touring our own Town--Richmond, VA

So many people forget to take a tour of their own town. We are included in this group. We travel so much but forget that Richmond, VA is a great place to be a tourist. We do go to the museums and utilize many of its cultural activities and places, but we have never taken a tour of the canal area downtown. My mother got a whole bunch of tickets really inexpensively and invited us to go along with her and her friends. The canal area has been really cleaned up in the past several years but the canal area has always been around.

In short we had a great time on the 40 minute little boat cruise of the canal area. The boat captain told us many things that I did not know, including that George Washington was the person who suggested that Richmond build a canal in the city. And they listened to him. We also learned that Richmond was known for its import of tea and we learned a lot about the tobacco export and the tobacco warehouses.

It was such a beautiful day, warm but not hot.

We really enjoyed ourselves.

So an assignment to you -- go take a tour of your city. You may be surprised at what you learn.

Three Junior Ranger Badges in Three Days...oh my!

This past weekend we visited three different national parks. We did one on Saturday and two on Sunday. This proved a bit too much for the kids. Participating in the Junior Ranger programs at each site was just too taxing on them, mind and body. So we have a new rule in our house: one park, one day. We don't do more than that.

So here goes the first day. I will post the other parks in separate posts.

Saturday we visited the Wright Brother's National Monument in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. This is a wonderful park and while we have been there many times before we still learned something new on this trip.

(the monument at the top of the hill)

As you arrive there is a gate where you pay your entrance fee. Kids of course are free but adults are charged $4 each. We went ahead and purchased the annual pass for $80. It is a card that you get the size of a credit card. We parked and went into the visitor's center and picked up our junior ranger workbooks and a special pencil that had no eraser. (note to self: bring pencils with an eraser for the kids)

On the very day we chose to go to this park they also had a stunt kite exhibition and competition. We enjoyed watching the stunt kites fly as well as many large wind socks and other interesting kites.

(Stunt Kite Exhibition)

(helping the kids with their workbooks)

We then ran off to the other exhibition hall to search for the ranger who was giving a lesson in paper airplane making. It was a requirement for the kids to participate in a ranger led activity and this is the one we chose. As the kids were perfecting their paper airplanes the adults looked around the exhibit. We learned that it was only 66 years from the first flight to landing a man on the moon. That is pretty impressive. It also says a lot for technology. Once you figure out the basics you can improve it exponentially.

(Ranger Liz talking about the paper airplanes)

We walked around the rest of the museum and the kids finished up their requirements for the JR program. Then we hiked up the "mountain" (hill) to the actual monument. Boy is that a steep hill. The view from the top is well worth the hike!

(This Ranger was so funny with the kids and he added so much more to their

oath that the kids take. They promised to be good to their brother and sisters and

to clean their room every day!)

When going to the Wright Brother's National Monument allow for 2 to 3 hours to tour both the visitor's center and the exhibition hall. Don't forget to hike the hill to the top for the great views of the island and don't miss the ranger talk in the visitor's center where the replica of the original airplane is. That talk is great.

National Parks Annual Pass

Recently we have been thinking about going ahead and getting the annual pass for the National Park Service. We so enjoyed the Ft. McHenry Trip and we are looking at focusing our next few trips around the National Parks and Historic Sites around the areas we will be visiting. So it makes sense to go ahead and purchase the annual pass.

This is a great deal if you know you will be visiting some of these places in the year.

If you are a senior citizen then you get the motherload of deals. It is a $10 lifetime pass. You can bring in up to 3 more adults with you and kids are free anyway. You can visit any national park or historic site or seashore you want free of charge.

If you are not a senior citizen then you get the regular annual pass for $80. This is good for a full twelve months from the time of purchase.

This pass gets you:
• Per Vehicle Fee Areas - The pass admits the pass holder and passengers in a noncommercial
vehicle.
• Per Person Fee Areas – The pass admits the pass holder + 3 adults, not to exceed 4
adults (children under 16 are admitted free).

And it does not cover:
• Overnight Camping
• Developed Boat Launches
• Swimming Sites
• Specialized Interpretive Services
• Concessioner Service (Concessioners may honor the Senior/Access passes if included
in the terms of their current permit)
• Facility or equipment Rental Fees
• Cabins
• Lookouts
• Day/Overnight Group Sites
• Special Conservation Programs

We have already spent $14 to go to Ft. McHenry and upcoming trips will be to Ft. Raleigh and to The Wright Brothers' Memorial in North Carolina. Ft. Raleigh is free but The Wright Brother's Memorial will cost us $8.

Another future trip will be to Jamestown and to Yorktown. These two are a bit more spendy at $10 a person. We are now up to $42. With the pass though, I think we will use it more.

www.nps.gov

Oceana Air Show

The boys went to the Oceana Naval Base Annual Air Show. They had a great time and was there from Friday through Sunday. They went with my son's Boy Scout Troop.

The Blue Angels.

A fun plane with The Pickle in front

Another cool plane.

In the helicopter...

The girls and I stayed home and held down the fort. We would have enjoyed ourselves if we went but for us, planes are just, well, planes.

Food....as we know it.

A couple weeks ago my husband went in for a routine yearly physical. He had bloodwork done, a chest x-ray, etc. The normal stuff as you get a bit older. Last week he got his results back. Everything looked great except for his cholesterol. It was a bit high. Well not sure "a bit" is the right wording. High but not high enough to freak out and start the roto-rooter meds. The doc said that he could bring it down with diet.

Now this is a guy. A man. A man who likes his meat. A man who likes his midnight chocolate snacking. A man who, well, doesn't like to be told he needs to eat rabbit food and granola. He was a bit upset about this at first, but we both started diving into research on the internet, talking to friends, etc., trying to figure out what he can eat, what he can't eat, how to raise good cholesterol, and how to lower bad all at the same time.

At first it was looking like rabbit food and granola but now we have found eggs, meats, and other items that help lower cholesterol. We have learned about Omega-3's and Omega-6's. We have changed our diet.

First changes were that we are no longer (well once we finish eating what we already own) eating meats and veggies that are not organic, if we can help it. We are eating much more fruits and veggies, and we are limiting our red meats. Not getting rid of red meats all together but limiting them. We are eating whole grains, trying new foods, and loving it.

A few weeks ago I accidentally grabbed the wrong box of blueberry muffin mix. I got the whole grain mix not the "regular" ones. Last night I made them. The kids were so excited to have these with our chicken last night. They could smell them baking and I think their mouths were watering when they sat down to the table. I never said anything about them being different, and one of the bonuses was that we hadn't had them in a long while. I made them with our omega-3 rich eggs and I used canola oil. The didn't puff up as much as the ones with white flour and they were much more dense. But the kids raved over them and they each at two and asked if they could take one for snack today. So I think they went over well. I will be purchasing these again.

For the most part the kids won't see any real difference in their eating habits changing. We already eat a lot of veggies and fruits. We already try to not have too much in the way of processed, packaged foods. But these little changes will be good for all of us.

This weekend I am off to the farmer's market to price purchasing 1/8 cow.

For a while we have talked about moving towards a healthier diet and shopping more organic but we planned to start this "on our big trip" we would say. We wanted to move to more fruits and veggies, healthier cuts of meat and more local produce. But now with the test results, we begin now. Now is better than never and now is better than later. I like our switch.

As for the husband-he thought at first we would starve to death but in the last night he commented that he was full but not stuffed and he was starting to feel better through the day with more energy. I think he is already seeing some of the benefits of this diet. He hasn't cut out his midnight snacking but has switched the Hostess Cupcakes with trail mix. A bit of chocolate but lots of protein.

Oh, and he has lost 5 pounds--the jerk! ;)

Did your table look like this?

the night before the first day of school? Ours did. In the weeks leading up to this event we shopped with all the kids to pick out their school supplies for the year. We also stock up on things like filler paper, notebooks, crayons, pencils, extra markers, etc., because of the great deals you can get. You just can't beat a pencil box for a penny!

So in typical Sears form we wait till the last minute enjoying every second of our freedom of summer and waited to the night before to get us all organized. We had been at the river for the whole weekend and with the intent to come home just after breakfast on Labor Day we lazed around, talked with family more, and piddled a bit in cleanup before finally getting in the car around 5pm. This put us getting back to our house at 7 pm and then we had baths to take. Once all that was done we put the kids in bed and set out to getting names on all their items and packed in their bookbags for the next day.

As a child I used to love the first day of school.

Now as a mom, I hate it.

It reminds me that my kids are one year older.

It reminds me that my kids are growing up too quickly.

And most of all it reminds me that my summer days with them home all the time is again at an end. {sniffle}

The next morning we were up early and out the door in typical Sears fashion- rush rush rush...

So much that the kids and Dad rushed out of the house without even a first day of school photo. {double sniffle} What was he thinking???

But luckily he remembered that he had his cellphone in his pocket and snapped a quick photo of the kids just before the bus came to pick them up. {whew!}

Plan B, Plan C, Plan D

What if we don't sell the house? What if we don't sell the business? What if we use the money we were going to spend on our Disney Trip for a summer trip? What if we rent our house? What if we sell the house but don't go for a year? What if we have no money? What if something breaks down on us and we can't fix it? What if? What if? What if?

I don't know if this is panic or rational thinking at this point. I read so many blogs about families who up and sold it all and are now traveling. I have scoured their blogs looking for clues to how they pay for it all. There ARE expenses to living on the road and I want to know what their budget is and how they make their money while on the road OR if they have it in savings prior to being on the road.

One family sold their business and bought a big ole bus, gutted it and are now traveling. I know they are traveling on savings. Okay, I get it. But how much?

One family travels and then the dad will pick up a job here and there. The mom does photography. They work when they need to and travel about, but they tend to stay in one place a long time and they aren't out looking at the world like we would be so much. I love their family and I love their blog.

One family up and sold a lot but didn't sell their house yet so they traveled a bit and are now back home where the dad has his own business. I haven't been able to confirm but I think he just closed up "shop" and traveled and then opened back up when they returned. The are home and homeschooling and dad is working again. Not sure what happened.

One family up and sold a bunch, couldn't get their house sold and are now renting it out for a year while they travel. They started their trip in July. I assume they have savings? or something as there was mention that the dad lost his job a couple years ago. Hmmm....

One family (yeah I follow a bunch of them) sold it ALL including the house and the dad has a job doing something (don't know what yet) that involves travel so they travel with him and his job. Sounds fun, but limits you to where you can go.

I can only assume that these families have a bunch of money in savings. Plus I have also found that 3/4 of the families that I follow with kids have a motor home and not a travel trailer. I have found 2 with a travel trailer, no I lied, 3 families.

I know that expenses are actually cheaper on the road (believe it or not) and we are looking forward to that BUT....

there are just all these different facets to this project. We have come up with several plans to make this trip and they include the BIG Plan A which is sell it all and take off for a year and we have a Plan B and C which include taking off for a smaller amount of time and traveling only in the summer and keeping the house and our stuff.

Oh the options.....

But for now the boys are off at an air show having the boy time of their lives I am sure and the girls and I are heading to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The boys took the cameras but I have my phone so I will post photos of our trip soon.