Left on a Jet Plane..

Over Spring Break, we left on a jet plane!

A very bumpy ride on the plane.  So much so, that a poor little girl was going to get sick, squeezed herself between the drink cart and MY seat, got by and then threw up on the guy behind me. That was a close and lucky one...for me!!

We finally landed on a little island called the Bahamas and decided to spend the week at Atlantis!

Oh boy...what a week it was!

When we arrived last Saturday afternoon, the boys immediately wanted to check out the watersides, so Jason and I decided to try out a couple local drinks!

Other highlights of the week

All of us went on this ride: The Leap of Faith!

 (This is the ride from our room!)

 A 60 foot, almost vertical drop! When you sit down on the slide to go down, you CANNOT see the slide!! Just your feet. You must push yourself and you drop...fast..along with your stomach!!

 See the shark at the bottom in the water?

Checked out more local drinks: Caribbean Bugs!!

We went snorkeling off a boat in the ocean and saw sea life in a coral reef AND a shipwreck!!

Sam discovered Virgin Strawberry Daiquiris!!

Saw and watched loads of local sea life!

Had the locals make us mystery drinks!

 Hung out at the beach!

Went to the Straw Market and bought a few souvenirs.

Boys enjoyed Bahama Goombay Punch.

 Explored the property!

And we all kissed a girl named Jackie!

 (Sam: "Yay. The first girl I kiss is a fish.")

And then we reluctantly packed up our suitcases.

Waited in line after line at the airport.

 And got back on a jet plane. 

(VERY bumpy for about 15 minutes. Sam: "Are we going down?")

 Then arrived back home. 

and of course, we had to immediately stop to get Jason's annual birthday Big Mac and Shamrock shake.

Spring Break!

I am taking a scheduled time off from the blog. It's Spring Break and spending time with the boys!

 

Be back the week of March 21!

Pizza Makers...

When Jason was in high school, he worked at a local pizza place where the were require to learn to toss the pizza dough. So whenever we make homemade pizza, Jason has to show his skills.

It's all about the position of the hands. 

Hands should be in a soft fist when tossing and catching the pizza dough. Love Jack's reaction!

 Jack's turn!

 May need a little more practice in the catching part.

 Over the years, Sam has had several pizza tossing lessons and has gotten the hang of it...now he goes for "As close to the ceiling as possible without touching it." 

Even Jas thought this one may have been a little too close!

Someday, the girls will be impressed with these boys' skills!

Nothing Better...

On Saturday morning, I got up and found Jack already on the couch watching TV.

It reminded me how at that age, there's nothing better than waking up on a Saturday morning, watching cartoons and just hanging out in your robe and fuzzy monkey slippers!

Counting By 7s

I recently finished the book Counting by 7s 

by Holly Goldberg Sloan.

 

Counting By 7s is an intensely moving middle grade novel about being an outsider, coping with loss, and discovering the true meaning of family.
Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life . . . until now.
Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read.

I had read wonderful reviews about this book and thought I would give it a try. I grew to love the characters in this book and little Willow is one tough cookie in the nicest manner. She understands she needs a family, but doesn't want to put anyone out. She truly tries to make the best of a terrible situation. As the story goes on, it also shows such diverse people trying to make ends meet while living in poverty and truly appreciating every little thing...such as your own bed....with a mattress. 
(SPOILER!!!)
What frustrated me was the way the book ended...lots and lots of sugar! 

I would suggest to pick up this book from the library if you need a quick read and a happy ending.
***************************************************************
I have been reading several young adult books and really needed a bit more of a heavy read. While I was at the library, I came across the book, The Murder's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers.
(Not to be confused with The Murderer's Daughter by Jonathan Kellerman.)
 

Lulu and Merry's childhood was never ideal, but on the day before Lulu's tenth birthday their father drives them into a nightmare. He's always hungered for the love of the girls' self-obsessed mother; after she throws him out, their troubles turn deadly.
Lulu had been warned to never to let her father in, but when he shows up drunk, he's impossible to ignore. He bullies his way past Lulu, who then listens in horror as her parents struggle. She runs for help, but discovers upon her return that he's murdered her mother, stabbed her five-year-old sister, and tried, unsuccessfully, to kill himself.
Lulu and Merry are effectively orphaned by their mother's death and father's imprisonment, but the girls' relatives refuse to care for them and abandon them to a terrifying group home. Even as they plot to be taken in by a well-to-do family, they come to learn they'll never really belong anywhere or to anyone―that all they have to hold onto is each other.
For thirty years, the sisters try to make sense of what happened. Their imprisoned father is a specter in both their lives, shadowing every choice they make. One spends her life pretending he's dead, while the other feels compelled, by fear, by duty, to keep him close. Both dread the day his attempts to win parole may meet success.
A beautifully written, compulsively readable debut, The Murderer's Daughters is a testament to the power of family and the ties that bind us together and tear us apart.

I have always had a hard time reading books that have some sort of violence against children (Yes, I know it is a horrific reality in society.)  It is inconceivable to me that someone could injure or kill their child. Merry & Lulu witness their mother's murder by their father, after LuLu let him into the apartment. Then Merry is attacked by the father, with LuLu also finding her sister in their parents bedroom. These girls have nowhere to turn and no one wants to take the girls in due to their inability to see the children needing help, but due to their own selfish reasons.

Because of their selfish, abusive father, these two sisters grow up shuffling between foster homes & relatives as well as living in constant fear that their father will be released from prison. Lulu feels terribly guilty for her mothers murder and feeling like she didn't protect her sister from her father, while Merry is confused about her feelings towards her father, which aren't what she or anyone would expect considering what he has done.

And that is when I had to finally put the book down. The book is well written, but just not for me. I wanted to reach into the book and grab the girls into big hugs and slap the people around them!   It has gotten great reviews and readers find that it will haunt them for days to come, but I did return it to the library after reading about 80 pages.

Chicken Noodle Soup...Oops!

Jack loves Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup and the fun shapes have always been an extra bonus! I spotted a new can of soup with Star Wars characters and couldn't wait to present Jack with exciting new shaped noodles!!

Finally the evening came for soup! I whipped up the Darth Vader can and while spooning the soup into the bowl I noticed what appeared to ME as snowflakes, but just assumed that shape was actually a star from some unknown planet. I served the bowl to Jack, just waiting for his reaction to all the fun Star Wars shapes! 

 

(this from the internet...NOT from our bowl!)

Soon, Jack asked, "Why are there snowflakes in my soup of Star Wars?" I shared my thoughts on the snowflakes and he said, "No. There is no such planet." He proceeded to pull out the different shapes from his bowl. We took a little closer look. And suddenly Jack stated, " I HAVE FROZEN SHAPES IN MY SOUP!"

 And sure enough, Jack's Star Wars can contained Frozen (the movie) shapes: snowflakes, princesses and Olaf!! 

 

Now, I can reassure you that I did not purchase a Frozen can of soup and tried to pull a quick one...one, I don't work that way and two, that would be too much work and three, it would be a great joke that I would not have thought of! Anyway, in this picture, I included the empty can of soup that I had given Jack, in the idea that he could find all the Star Wars shapes!

 

As you can see, not one of the noodles matched his can!

This did not stop Jack from eating all his soup. Jack is one that can go with the flow for the most part (he does have his limits.) His statement was, "Can you imagine the GIRL that got my Star Wars noodles!!" Then laughed!!

Missing Moose

Tomorrow Moose has been gone for a year. I still miss her every day. We have been talking about possibly getting a new dog and Jason will ask, "What dog would you want?" My heart says, Moose, every time.

Me and Moose after a walk in the snow. 

Whenever Jack and Sam had a slumber party at the house, Moose was never far away joining in all the fun!

Moose showing how much she loves us with the heart between her front legs!

Jack sleeping on the floor...Moose right beside him!

Looked out one morning, Moose all curled up by Jack...again!

 

What a young lady!

Moose got into Jack's tent one evening to sleep! Look at her giggle at getting caught!

Mom, are you taking pictures again?

She was never far away from us, no matter what we may be doing!

Watching Jack play a game, while we were under a tornado warning!

First day of school pictures!

Moose waiting for Jack to get off the bus.

Sitting on her blanket right inside the garage door. The boys were out playing and she was watching them!

Stop taking pictures! I have had enough!

Moose and her friend, Esther!

 

Happy Birthday, Moose!

I so want your food, but I am so tired...

Heading out to play in the snow!

What a sweetie...hanging out while Jack makes a snowman. We did have a little trouble with her stealing the snowman's stick arms!

There are 100s of other pictures I could share of Moose and the memories that we have of her. Thank you Moose for all the love, fun and friendship you brought to our family! 

We love you!

The Rent Collector

Just finished the book, The Rent Collector 

 by Camron Wright

The Rent Collector is the story of a young mother, Sang Ly, struggling to survive by picking through garbage in Cambodia's largest municipal dump (Yes, the LIVE in the dump.) Under threat of eviction by an embittered old drunk who is charged with collecting rents from the poor people who live in the dump of Stung Meanchey, Sang Ly embarks on a desperate journey to save her ailing son from a life of ignorance and poverty. It’s a tale of discovery and redemption in which she learns that literature, like hope, is found in the most unexpected places.

This book really grew on me as I read. I can't believe people actually live in the dump. Not just a few, but an entire village. Sang Ly's son is so sick from living in the dump and she cannot figure out how to get him well, due to no money to pay for doctors or medication. She does find s a friendship and hope through an amazing life story of the drunk, bitter, rent collector. I love how all the lose ends are beautifully ties together at the end. It reminds me that you should never judge someone for everyone is truly fighting their own battles, no matter how big or small. The outside might show one person, while the inside is...another story.

Though the book is a work of fiction, it was inspired by real people living in the dump at Stung Mean Chey in Cambodia.

 

Camron Wright's son, whose film inspired the author to write The Rent Collector, has since gone back to Cambodia to find Sang Ly and her family. This journey can be watched in the movie "River of Victory." 

The trailer can bee seen here on Vimo.