Real World: Wyoming; Day Ten

So who remembers that show The Real World on MTV? I used to love love love that and even wanted to be on it. Of course, that was when I was in an abusive marriage and would've wanted to be ANYWHERE else besides where I was! (even fighting with a bunch of drunk kids my own age on TV). Anyway, here are the opening lines of that show, adjusted a little bit to fit my situation:

“This is the true story of seven family members picked to live in a lodge and have their lives taped (s0rda, on The Kerrie Show) to find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real.”

I still love my reality TV. Don't you judge me. You know you have guilty pleasures, too, somewhere. I told a friend today that I watch reality TV like the Housewives and Bethenny and Flipping Out so I can learn how to argue since I was deprived of didn't have any siblings growing up (and I loved it, people, yet ask me how much I will love it when my parents are oldies but goodies!!!).

The day started with some nice Pringles for Socks.

Sam chillin' in his grandpa chair complete with blankie.

We finally got un-lazy and went to town. First we went to McDonald's for lunch, which entailed eating in the car while listening to Dave Ramsey and tossing food at seagulls in the parking lot. We had to go to Wells Fargo for money for our lodging, and happened to get the BEST TELLER EVER, Tashia. She is pregnant with her 4th kidlet and totally understood my kids being antsy at the bank. They got suckers and she even blew up balloons for them! You know how I said it never rains here? Well, apparently I am powerful, because it was windy as all get-out and sprinkled today. Excitement!

Then we went to ... yes, I am hanging my head in shame to admit it again ... I'm whispering it ... WalMart.

WHAT? Don't judge me AGAIN! We "needed" ring pops and fat free half and half and a bunch of other stuff.

We spent some time at the river beach, which resulted in a wet sand fight and walking home with a couple of crying kidlets. Callie left her glasses BURIED there (yes, I said it) so after baths and tacos, we all trekked back ... I threw Sam in the stroller and he LOVED the bumpy ride to the beach over rocks and roots and tiny paths.

Post-beach meltdown and bath. Happy now with a taco and a silly sister to entertain.

Tacos for my other hungry boys, too.

So funny to have bulls running around all over the place. They stare you down like they're all bad, but then when you walk toward them, they run!

Cash to pay for the rest of our stay. We can't seem to hold onto those hundies for long.

We are loving our little vacation here. I got the kids to bed by myself last night (woo hoo! ... yes, I do this all the time when Aron is out of town, but lately he has been home to pray with us and read to the kids), then could not sleep so I watched the end of Water for Elephants (good book). Made me cry at the end. Aron didn't get home until midnight, sadly. At least we got to sleep next to each other for 6 hours before he had to leave again.

What fun will we be up to tomorrow?

If you missed any installments of the Real World: Wyoming series, head to the right-hand side of this here blog, look for Categories, then click on Wyoming.

Real World: Wyoming; Day Nine

Tuesday we decided to stay inside and not get anymore sun on purpose. When we prayed at bedtime last night, Aron asked God, "Please don't let my kids get skin cancer."

An atypical homeschooling day where everyone is calmly at the table.

Michael chose to sit at a different table and play Legos and Moshi Monsters.

So we made it a go-to-town day and spent a small fortune at WalMart on food, things to do, face cream for me (costly, yet cheaper than Botox, and when you have your own show you have to try to look good), and tons of vitamins since I have decided I am going through perimenopause (probably there will be a blog post on that one to come since I can't pass up making fun of womanly things). Also needed some school supplies.

So we powerbraked it out of the Kingfisher Bend Ranch, up the gravel road and onto the highway. We made it there and back! Got some powertrain error on the van when it died in town, so we'll have to check out a mechanic since Aron has (1) no tools here to fix the van and (2) zero time to fix the van since he's always at work!

Sam's Big Purchase: Thomas the Tank Engine jammies.

Aron worked a super long day and still got home and took the 4 awake kids to the pond for a little fishing and hanging out. On the way, they encountered many bulls who were being kept out of the main pen on purpose. The kids were FREAKED (OK, I was also freaked), but the managers said it was fine and we believed them. As the kids neared the bulls, the ran away. Wish I had a picture of that one but Sam was slung over my shoulder and it happened to fast!

Quote of the day from Michael: "[The show] River Monsters really bothers me. It's inappropriate for kids."

Real World: Wyoming; Day Eight

Monday was a hang-out day. We did some homeschooling to get back into the swing of life and messed around in the house and outside a little. Our big excitement was when we couldn't stand it any longer and had to venture to the river beach because the day was simply too gorgeous to pass up. I wonder if we'll ever be stuck inside while it rains here? So far it's been nothing but gorgeous. Here are a few pics from our day:

The boys put on an art show!

I made cookies that actually were not flat. The first batch I used baking soda from 2006. Today I used baking POWDER from 2003 and they worked out fine!

We drove the trash up to the dumpster. The van is stalling out and I have to powerbrake it so it stays running. Probably the TPS (throttle position sensor) but I'm no mechanic; I'm just a girl.

A necessary evil: laundry.  But it's much easier when it's on the main level of the house. I'm gonna miss this old girl when I go home.

Mommy's gettin' crispy while poor Daddy works a 13-hour day including commute.

Sammy shows off his new Cars swim trunks.

At the beach.

Joel doin' some whittlin'.

Why Do Public Schools Need So Much Money?

Sorry in advance to my friends with kids in public school, but I have a curiosity itch and I gotta scratch it.

So tonight as I'm cutting my umpteenth Boxtop for Education off of FOOD that I am consuming, I start wondering something.

Why do public schools need so much money?

It seems like they are always raising money for something and it is never enough. I want to see a damn balance sheet, a revenue report, their budget in Quickbooks or Excel or even on paper. Heck, you can even break it down per school for me instead of showing me some extensive Superintendent of Schools report for EVERY school in a district. Where can I get this information?

By the way, I'd be happy to whip up a balance sheet for my homeschool any day of the week. I run it cheap, folks and public schools could learn a thing or two from moms, that's for sure.

Because there are the Boxtops and the Capri Sun recycling and the Campbell's labels and the Best Choice labels and the restaurant nights like Sonic and McDonald's and Johnny's Tavern where the restaurant donates like 10-20% of the night's sales to the specific school.

Then there is the ice cream social and the carnival and the parties, all of which cost money. And you are buying a ring pop for 50 cents when you can get them for a quarter a piece at Costco.

Then there are the freaking fundraisers ... selling candy and wrapping paper and entertainment books and first-born children and when you ask a kid what the money is going toward THEY NEVER KNOW.

Let's not forget about how all those millions from lottery tickets and casinos were supposed to going toward public education. Hell, schools should have crystals on the doorknobs by now based on that alone!

I'm sure there's a lot of waste going on ... ask any teacher. And the party line is that teachers don't get paid enough, either (but consider their paycheck is only for NINE MONTHS).

I get why private schools do these things ... they don't get federal fundage.

So why do public schools need so much money?

Especially when so many of us homeschoolers are giving them like $1,000 per year from our property taxes and what do we get in return? I guess my family uses the school playground in our neighborhood and sometimes we have to park a car there for a few hours, so there's that.

I'm not even suggesting I be given that money back to put into my homeschool. I'm cool with helping to raise the village.

I'm not trying to be a jerk. I'm genuinely curious here.

Readers, school me on this subject! (and let me know about the money-raising things I've forgotten!)

Mother's Day in Wyoming: Day Seven

Mother's Day in Wyoming started with some alone time for me since I woke up at 7 and was able to get out of bed without waking up Sam. I did some writing work while I got the little treat of watching the last 10 minutes of a current episode of Madmen, one of my all-time favorite shows. Being transported back to the 1960s kinda rocks.

As everyone started getting up, we worked on breakfast: blueberry pancakes, sausage and eggs. That gave me enough energy for the relaxing (wait, there was the kayaking) I did all day.

Daddy made Sam into a robot using a diaper box.

One of the two cabins down by the pond, just down the road.

 Aron took the kids down to the pond for some water fun and none of the kids even gave me a backward glance because they knew they were going to have so much fun with their dad. While they were gone I shaved my legs while listening to The Real Housewives of New Jersey. I also took a shower without any little company and I did some writing while watching TV. They were gone about an hour and a half, then Aron came back with the two littlest.

Not even so much as a "bye, Mom!" So much for attachment parented kids being dependent!

Sam did not want to stay home, though, so I walked them down to the pond and ended up taking my maiden kayaking voyage and my maiden rowboat voyage. Great exercise, sunshine, time with family. We had kayak races and took delight in bumping each other's boats.

I was in heaven all day, as Aron did a bunch of laundry and most of the cooking! Later we had his Wyoming boss over for dinner: grilled chicken, corn on the cob, sweet potato fries and blueberry muffins. I was able to nurse Sam to sleep in bed (he was pissy! ... too much sun?) and so got an hour to help with dinner and eat it!

Later I got to do some reading in bed while snuggling with kids. What a great day! Hope your day was just as great.

P.S. My dad wants more fishing stories, so this is to let him know Joel tried to catch a crawdad as big as a baby lobster, and Aron tried some fishing but didn't have any luck. He'll be trying again some nights when he gets home at a decent time.

Real World: Wyoming; Day Six

Day Six = Saturday, by the way. Daddy worked all day. We went to the river beach for a couple of hours in the afternoon. I sunscreened faces liberally but didn't realize we'd be there so long having fun and didn't realize the sun bounced off the sand so much. As a result, I'm a BAD MOMMY and got my kids' little legs a bit sunburned. Not badly, mind you, but they griped later that night. I gave them some Tylenol and put lotion on their legs since we had no aloe or sunburn sprays. Of course they'll be nice and tan tomorrow, but I'm sunscreening the crap out of them next time!

Callie made a "pool" for Sam.

Michael and Joel made a bigger pool.

 Aron got home late in the afternoon and we were going to head to church and dinner, but Sam had other ideas. Sam had to eat at the MommyKerrie Breastaurant and fell asleep so Aron took the 3 oldest kids to the pond to kayak and rowboat. They also fed the horses since the managers are out of town for the night. Then we woke Sam up and headed out.

A Mexican restaurant in Evanston, WY. Muy bueno!

After dinner we headed to a park on the RiverWalk. Me and Callie snapped a pic while I practiced my Spanish on a couple of little girls there.

A moose feeding!

Here's a viewer question from my dad (well, two questions) that I pulled out of The Kerrie Show mailbag:

"Has it got very cold there at night? Is it alright to go out far nights, I mean do you have to be wary of wild animals there?"

Thanks for watching the show, Dad, and here are your answers:

(1) YES! Sometimes it gets to freezing at night. Mornings are chilly, but by after lunchtime we are good to go to hit the river beach for a sunny warm couple of hours in the low 70s or so (feels warmer, but sometimes there's a chilly breeze on the river's bend).

(2) NO and YES! It is pitch black out there in front of our place. In back there's one big "streetlight" ... but we don't venture outside much after dark. We had to read a pamphlet about cougars and bears and how to act if you encounter one, so that has us freaked out!

(3) Bonus answer: Dad, you know the kids are wild animals, so I ALWAYS have to be wary!

There's a triangle out back so I can call people in for dinner ... we are totally Ma and Pa Kettle out here!

The dog here at Kingfisher Bend Ranch, Socks, is the perfect bribe to get my kids to do anything! If Sam is having a fit, we just ask if he wants to give Socks a treat or wants to go pet Socks and he's happy. Looks like we'll be getting a dog in October after all.

As for music here in Evanston, Wyoming, let's just say there's plenty of country but I found THREE great rock stations ... the only catch is they only play stuff from the 70s and 80s. So I get to go back in time on a regular basis, but when I get home I'll be uncool on the music scene. That's okay.

If you missed any installments of the Real World: Wyoming series, head to the right-hand side of this here blog, look for Categories, then click on Wyoming.

Real World: Wyoming; Day Five

The usual type of day: coffee, breakfast, laundry, shower, dishes, pack lunch and off to town to hit the Family Dollar for a few toys, then Dollar Tree for some sand toys for the beach, WalMart for more grocery stuff, post office to mail Mother’s Day cards. I love when strangers tell me I'm raising polite kids :-)

Lots of chillin', then threw a lasagna in the oven and hit the beach for a while to catch some rays and build a rock dam. I chilled on the sand and watched my amazing kids just play, something I rarely do at home. This reinforces the goal we have that soon we'd love to be able to afford a place in the "country" (as country as you can get near Kansas City) where we can just go for a hike in the middle of the day to a stream and forget about household chores.

Gathering rocks for the dam.

Sam could be in San Diego for all he cares. Sand is sand and water is water. It's all fun!

Callie laying out on the beach.

Tonight I told Aron I can put away the dishes instead of him because he worked all day, and that I can write while I nurse after I put away dishes. He said, “Yes, I know you can write while you nurse. You’re very talented that way. But go do something else.” He just wanted me to relax, which rocks.

Catch you later for Day Six (Friday).

Real World:Wyoming; Day Four

Loving how the kids can run free around here and I don’t have to worry about them. They love the dog here, Socks, and there are kittens to be fondled next week, plus the horses. I can hear the Bear River out the back door.

The boys tried to fish at the pond but it was too windy. So we went to “town” for groceries. Found out the bank shut down our debit card since we’re traveling and spending lots of money. 

Here's the cake Eva knocked off a shelf at Smith's so we had to buy it. Aron says he's surprised she didn't then start knocking down all sorts of baked goods!

Back to the ranch to unload a million dollars in groceries, and my friend would kill me because it’s a lot of processed junk, but it makes life easy.

Getting domesticated. Made some muffins for us and for the managers of the  place.

Don’t worry, lunch was a nice romaine, carrot, strawberry, feta, tomato salad with light balsamic. The kids had mac and cheese and muffins J

Why am I posting so many pictures of food?????

The rest of the day and night were spent chillin' out.

If you missed any installments of the Real World: Wyoming series, head to the right-hand side of this here blog, look for Categories, then click on Wyoming.

Real World: Wyoming; Day Three

Breakfast at one of our lovely kitchen tables at the Kingfisher Bend Ranch! The living area is behind the kids ... a couch and a chair. Down the hallway are the other 2 bedrooms which we don't even use but they are great for the kids to play in.

A wicked cool tree out our back door.

Joel is already in ART MODE, drawing pictures of different birds and animals we see.

The view out our back door.

Had a showdown with the high-falutin' washin' machine. I'm used to beating my clothes on a rock, so this computerized contraption was hard to figure out.

The managers, who are living in a residence ATTACHED to ours (poor people!), gave us a tour of Bear River Beach, which is about a half mile walk from the lodge.

Then there was horseback riding for all in an arena. We'd never been before, so it was amazing! Even Michael got on a horse for a little bit!

Learned a new term: mate-poaching. Ladies (and gentlemen), don't try to poach my hot cowboy mate, m'kay?

Michael made some strawberry juice.

Grandpa and Grandpa on the front porch.

To Salt Lake City for a rental car for Daddy since he works 40 minutes from where we're staying. Target stop for decent shoes for Eva, then WalMart stop for fishing poles.

Aron's Buick Regal. He says the Mommyvan could take it in a race no problem. We'll test that theory later.

Pizza casserole for dinner, and watching deer out the back kitchen windows and door.