On February twenty-first Scottius Maximus posted about Ocean Spray and mixed juices.
Tee hee! Scottius, you've reminded me of a funny story. It all happened when The Quipper and I were at the hospital having our daughter. The anesthesiologist came in to give me an epidural and the Quipper was asked to leave the room.
Quickly and gladly, he complied! He went out to get me a beverage. While walking through to doorway he checked with me, "Would you like another mixed drink?"
"WHAT?!?!?!" The doctor screamed in horror.
We hurriedly explained, "no! no! just cranberry and apple juice, mixed."
His (Dr.'s) relief was palpable as his big sigh filled the room.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Thursday Morning in Florida
Thursday was an interesting combination of frustration and relaxation. In the morning I took the children to the Old Fort Lauderdale Museum.
I had the poor fortune of selecting a day when the lady who operates it had a family situation so it was to be closed except for the school field trip that began before we arrived. Thankfully, the kind ladies at the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society next door let us go in and take the self-guided tour. The museum was small and half of it was dedicated to Marjory Stoneman Douglas, a champion of the Everglades and author of The Everglades: River of Grass.
The other half was dedicated to Ft. Lauderdale history. It was interesting to learn that the city is named for a man, Lauderdale, who built a fortification along the New River for Tennessee Volunteers in Second Seminole War.
I also found it humorous to read that Ohioans fleeing to Florida is a phenomenon much older than I thought. In 1895 Frank Stranahan, an Ohioan, opened Stranahan's Trading Post at the New River ferry crossing on the one and only rock road between Lantana and Lemon City in north Miami.
The museum also had before and after exhibits about a September 1926 hurricane.
The area plunged into economic depression three years ahead of the rest of the nation, and recovery did not come until after World War II.
Spring Break! Clarion call of college students making a pilgrimage south was not always the hedonistic flesh fest we see on the news these days. In the 1920's Fort Lauderdale had a regulation- size ocean fed pool.
The site hosted the Annual College Swim Forum, which over the decades has grown (ahem. Perhaps that should be "decended") into the Spring Break phenomenon.
The children were amused by the man's bathing suit and woman's bathing dress.
I had the poor fortune of selecting a day when the lady who operates it had a family situation so it was to be closed except for the school field trip that began before we arrived. Thankfully, the kind ladies at the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society next door let us go in and take the self-guided tour. The museum was small and half of it was dedicated to Marjory Stoneman Douglas, a champion of the Everglades and author of The Everglades: River of Grass.
The other half was dedicated to Ft. Lauderdale history. It was interesting to learn that the city is named for a man, Lauderdale, who built a fortification along the New River for Tennessee Volunteers in Second Seminole War.
I also found it humorous to read that Ohioans fleeing to Florida is a phenomenon much older than I thought. In 1895 Frank Stranahan, an Ohioan, opened Stranahan's Trading Post at the New River ferry crossing on the one and only rock road between Lantana and Lemon City in north Miami.The museum also had before and after exhibits about a September 1926 hurricane.
The area plunged into economic depression three years ahead of the rest of the nation, and recovery did not come until after World War II.Spring Break! Clarion call of college students making a pilgrimage south was not always the hedonistic flesh fest we see on the news these days. In the 1920's Fort Lauderdale had a regulation- size ocean fed pool.
The site hosted the Annual College Swim Forum, which over the decades has grown (ahem. Perhaps that should be "decended") into the Spring Break phenomenon.The children were amused by the man's bathing suit and woman's bathing dress.
Monday, February 26, 2007
First Communion & Choir
Wow time flies. Nearly 10 years ago our daughter was born. This past Sunday she began classes in preparation for her first communion. Typically, this happens later in Lutheran churches than in Roman Catholic congregations. And in Lutheran churches it typically happens after the rite confirmation, similar to many protestant churches. I suppose we are different in many ways.
As I was reading over the paperwork from the class yesterday, I noticed I have already heaped some mom-guilt upon myself. I read that at least one parent is to attend the class with their child. Oops.
Sunday while my daughter was in class I was watching over the icy parking lot to help some of the older folks in the door and participating in the adult class (Podcasts are available via the red and blue CLC Radio button in my sidebar). Okay, next Sunday I will be with her in the classroom.
I checked with the teacher to get some feedback on behavior, knowledge base, participation, etc. The teacher seemed quite pleased with the entire class and commented that each student was well prepared. The news was ear-tickling, but I do believe the teacher would be honest and tell me news I'd rather not hear if it would benefit my daughter.
Children's choir is new for the Engineer. He is reading well enough to keep up with slow-paced songs. Here his sister, a choir veteran, has left her chair to kneel at his side and help him as the choir goes through a song for the first time.
We figured the repetition of all the rehearsals would help him memorize the words so he would not need to rely on reading for quicker tunes. And he was receptive to the idea! It is one more way to get him interacting with other kids, and hopefully tolerating noise.
Come to think of it, I have noticed the noise he makes does not seem to bother him. Lately he has been pretending to be a scary fire-breathing dragon. A very noisy one at that.
As I was reading over the paperwork from the class yesterday, I noticed I have already heaped some mom-guilt upon myself. I read that at least one parent is to attend the class with their child. Oops.
Sunday while my daughter was in class I was watching over the icy parking lot to help some of the older folks in the door and participating in the adult class (Podcasts are available via the red and blue CLC Radio button in my sidebar). Okay, next Sunday I will be with her in the classroom.
I checked with the teacher to get some feedback on behavior, knowledge base, participation, etc. The teacher seemed quite pleased with the entire class and commented that each student was well prepared. The news was ear-tickling, but I do believe the teacher would be honest and tell me news I'd rather not hear if it would benefit my daughter.
Children's choir is new for the Engineer. He is reading well enough to keep up with slow-paced songs. Here his sister, a choir veteran, has left her chair to kneel at his side and help him as the choir goes through a song for the first time.
We figured the repetition of all the rehearsals would help him memorize the words so he would not need to rely on reading for quicker tunes. And he was receptive to the idea! It is one more way to get him interacting with other kids, and hopefully tolerating noise.Come to think of it, I have noticed the noise he makes does not seem to bother him. Lately he has been pretending to be a scary fire-breathing dragon. A very noisy one at that.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Wannado City
Wednesday we went to Wannado City. This is a really neat place to visit for children, especially ages 7-12-ish, maybe even a little older.
We walked from the sunny morning into the mall and entered the Wannado City site. The children checked in and were given wristbands to match mine. This way they can (theoretically) go off on their own while the parents relax in the Eagle's Nest lounge on the second floor and peer over the balcony at all the city streets (picture universal studios neighborhoods) below. To find your little ones, scan your wristband at a locator and the screen will show you precisely where they are.
The cautious and sound sensitive Engineer was not thrilled. Inside was dark (until the eyes adjusted) noisy as all get-out, and some schools on field trips had bigger kids (they looked 10 - 11 to me) running and screaming all over the place. He was terrified! He did calm down after noon when the school buses left.
At check-in the children were also each issued a paycheck. Priority one was finding the bank to cash the kids' checks. They were each given 150 Wongas (unit of currency) to spend on various activities in Wannado City. If they wanted to do more things they would have to get jobs and work for the money. When it is time to leave Wannodo City they can go back to the bank, open an account and save their money for next trip. We skipped that part and the kids gave their Wongas to one of the Quipper's co-workers.
After that was a planning session: what jobs are open all the time? what will be open in the morning only? what will be open in the afternoon only? will my son ever leave my lap? where on the map are we now and where do we want to go first? Plantation General Hospital needed people to work in the nursery. So my children donned scrubs; bathed, powdered, changed, fed and burped some life size babies and were each paid 40 Wongas for the work they had done.
Soon it was clear we would need to split up. Everything the Artist wanted to do was scary for the Engineer. And once he caught site of the amusement park, I knew where he and I would be spending most of the day. He rode the green airplane about 10 times, and took 5 or 6 train rides too, all at 10 Wongas a ride. 
Once while we were waiting in line for a ride we saw the Artist doing some police work. She learned she is not good at keeping the people she arrested in custody. 
The Engineer was curious about being a dentist. He got to count, brush and polish a patient's teeth and take some Xrays. I think he was intrigued by the foot pedal powering the tools. But he had a singleness of purpose throughout the chores: more Wongas = more airplane rides. 
At the circus, the Artist got some juggling lessons. 
The Engineer missed mom too much to complete pilot training. In this photo he is just about to chicken out. He never went into the cockpit of the actual airplane in Wannado City's airport. A flight attendant bright him to me at the parent's waiting area before the tears came though. The attendant told me they have actual flight simulators in there for the kids. They can see how their manipulation of the controls looks on their screen. 
The Engineer liked the grocery store too. He enjoyed shopping and he got paid for re-stocking when he was done. 
One of the last places we went was the bakery. The kids rolled out and seasoned their own soft pretzel for baking, then they got to enjoy them. 
We walked from the sunny morning into the mall and entered the Wannado City site. The children checked in and were given wristbands to match mine. This way they can (theoretically) go off on their own while the parents relax in the Eagle's Nest lounge on the second floor and peer over the balcony at all the city streets (picture universal studios neighborhoods) below. To find your little ones, scan your wristband at a locator and the screen will show you precisely where they are.
The cautious and sound sensitive Engineer was not thrilled. Inside was dark (until the eyes adjusted) noisy as all get-out, and some schools on field trips had bigger kids (they looked 10 - 11 to me) running and screaming all over the place. He was terrified! He did calm down after noon when the school buses left.
At check-in the children were also each issued a paycheck. Priority one was finding the bank to cash the kids' checks. They were each given 150 Wongas (unit of currency) to spend on various activities in Wannado City. If they wanted to do more things they would have to get jobs and work for the money. When it is time to leave Wannodo City they can go back to the bank, open an account and save their money for next trip. We skipped that part and the kids gave their Wongas to one of the Quipper's co-workers.After that was a planning session: what jobs are open all the time? what will be open in the morning only? what will be open in the afternoon only? will my son ever leave my lap? where on the map are we now and where do we want to go first? Plantation General Hospital needed people to work in the nursery. So my children donned scrubs; bathed, powdered, changed, fed and burped some life size babies and were each paid 40 Wongas for the work they had done.
Soon it was clear we would need to split up. Everything the Artist wanted to do was scary for the Engineer. And once he caught site of the amusement park, I knew where he and I would be spending most of the day. He rode the green airplane about 10 times, and took 5 or 6 train rides too, all at 10 Wongas a ride. 
Once while we were waiting in line for a ride we saw the Artist doing some police work. She learned she is not good at keeping the people she arrested in custody. 
The Engineer was curious about being a dentist. He got to count, brush and polish a patient's teeth and take some Xrays. I think he was intrigued by the foot pedal powering the tools. But he had a singleness of purpose throughout the chores: more Wongas = more airplane rides. 
At the circus, the Artist got some juggling lessons. 
The Engineer missed mom too much to complete pilot training. In this photo he is just about to chicken out. He never went into the cockpit of the actual airplane in Wannado City's airport. A flight attendant bright him to me at the parent's waiting area before the tears came though. The attendant told me they have actual flight simulators in there for the kids. They can see how their manipulation of the controls looks on their screen. 
The Engineer liked the grocery store too. He enjoyed shopping and he got paid for re-stocking when he was done. 
One of the last places we went was the bakery. The kids rolled out and seasoned their own soft pretzel for baking, then they got to enjoy them. 
Ahhhh Florida!
The first day I took the children out and about for more than filling the gas tank was Tuesday. It was a lovely, sunny morning, and after dinner Monday night the Quipper had driven me past our Tuesday destination so all was well. We saw dire predictions for snow, wind, snow and more snow back home, donned our shorts and shorts sleeves, and piled into the van.
Oh yes, the van. The one with the dead air conditioner which we decided to wait until spring to fix. Yes, that is an asthmatic child in the car seat in the back. Palm trees in parking lots do not provide a lot of shade. Still, it was not too bad. Fort Lauderdale temps were in the mid 70º's F (23.5 º C) and it could have been much worse.
We were off to Flamingo Gardens! The park was beautiful and it had a lot to offer to satisfy a five year old, a ten year old, and an adult. This turned out to be my best pick of the week. We saw and learned about all kinds of animals as we walked the park.
Click any photo to enlarge the view. There were many kinds of owls. Most of them were huddled in their nest boxes as it was a bright day. The barn owls photographed the best.
In my close up these iguanas are easier to spot than they were at the park! They are on a bough overhanging the everglade pond, home to the wading birds on the placard below. 
A majestic bald eagle pair... There was a golden eagle pair that I did not get good shots of too. 
Water turtles and box tortoises:
And a peacock calling loudly and trying to impress a hen. 
And, the park namesakes: In the center of the park is the flamingo pond. Approximately 20 bright pink flamingos live here and every day scores of white ibis from outside the park crash the party for easy meals. 
The kids just finished feeding this guy. The guide who gave us the kibble called him Big Boy when she lured him toward us. I think he is trying to decide whether or not the camera is an extra large piece of chow!
Wow--he let me get a close up!
Later, on the tram ride, we learned about all kinds of trees and plants as well. Here's a sampling of what we saw:
A banyan tree: 
Giant blossoms
Drat! I did not get the name of this tree. This single tree has huge roots that must give great shelter to wild critters. 
Bamboo! I love all my bamboo knitting needles, and I am most pleased with the bamboo cutting board I bought a few months ago. I have not tried bamboo yarn (yet). I enjoy bamboo shoots in my stir fry, which I'm rather unsuccessful at eating with my bamboo chop sticks. And the plant is beautiful to boot. I really like this photo.
And a few fun shots for the kids:
Oh yes, the van. The one with the dead air conditioner which we decided to wait until spring to fix. Yes, that is an asthmatic child in the car seat in the back. Palm trees in parking lots do not provide a lot of shade. Still, it was not too bad. Fort Lauderdale temps were in the mid 70º's F (23.5 º C) and it could have been much worse.
We were off to Flamingo Gardens! The park was beautiful and it had a lot to offer to satisfy a five year old, a ten year old, and an adult. This turned out to be my best pick of the week. We saw and learned about all kinds of animals as we walked the park.
Click any photo to enlarge the view. There were many kinds of owls. Most of them were huddled in their nest boxes as it was a bright day. The barn owls photographed the best.
In my close up these iguanas are easier to spot than they were at the park! They are on a bough overhanging the everglade pond, home to the wading birds on the placard below. 
A majestic bald eagle pair... There was a golden eagle pair that I did not get good shots of too. 
Water turtles and box tortoises:
And a peacock calling loudly and trying to impress a hen. 
And, the park namesakes: In the center of the park is the flamingo pond. Approximately 20 bright pink flamingos live here and every day scores of white ibis from outside the park crash the party for easy meals. 
The kids just finished feeding this guy. The guide who gave us the kibble called him Big Boy when she lured him toward us. I think he is trying to decide whether or not the camera is an extra large piece of chow!
Wow--he let me get a close up!
Later, on the tram ride, we learned about all kinds of trees and plants as well. Here's a sampling of what we saw:
A banyan tree: 
Giant blossoms
Drat! I did not get the name of this tree. This single tree has huge roots that must give great shelter to wild critters. 
Bamboo! I love all my bamboo knitting needles, and I am most pleased with the bamboo cutting board I bought a few months ago. I have not tried bamboo yarn (yet). I enjoy bamboo shoots in my stir fry, which I'm rather unsuccessful at eating with my bamboo chop sticks. And the plant is beautiful to boot. I really like this photo.
And a few fun shots for the kids:
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Settling In
On Monday we were settled into the hotel and the Quipper had to go into the office. The kids and I would be on our own during the day. Most museums are closed on Monday so I did not plan anything spectacular for this day. The kids did school work and read their books and played their games. You are probably just as excited to read that as they were to do it.
I also relished in 'nothing to do' for a while and kept a close eye and ear on the Engineer who had not had an easy time of it lately with yet another asthma attack leading to our morning-of-departure trip to the Emergency room and all. Thankfully, the new climate did not seem to have any adverse effects on him.
I took out the knitting that I had thrown into my bag at the last minute (literally) before we pulled out of the driveway. I hoped I had enough supplies to do something! I had this pattern for toe-up socks with me and some light green Bernat Denimstyle yarn that was a gift from Polly at Favorite Apron. (Thank you!!)
Mostly I swatched to figure out if I could work a project from the things I brought with me. As it turned out, I could. Over the next week I taught myself the figure eight cast on and began the pair of Milanese Lace Socks. I did not take pictures as I went along, but here is what they look like now. Since we got home I have only completed about four rows on each.
I usually prefer to work socks with five needles. With the lace panel being on only half the sock at this point it is simpler to keep to four needles. After the heel the lace pattern will be all around the ankle and I hope to go back to five needles.
In the afternoon I took the kids to the rooftop pool at the hotel. Gee, that linked photo was taken on a cloudy day as were the pool photos I took on Thursday. The first few times we swam it was beautiful and sunny, or warm but dark with early evening.
Of course, those times I did not bring the camera.
There were some neat views from the 9th floor roof top too, but with the cold front bringing in thick clouds these do not do justice.
But the weather was perfect for a nice sit in the sauna! The Artist got to experience this for the first time while an envious mom watched through the door with the Engineer!
I also relished in 'nothing to do' for a while and kept a close eye and ear on the Engineer who had not had an easy time of it lately with yet another asthma attack leading to our morning-of-departure trip to the Emergency room and all. Thankfully, the new climate did not seem to have any adverse effects on him.
I took out the knitting that I had thrown into my bag at the last minute (literally) before we pulled out of the driveway. I hoped I had enough supplies to do something! I had this pattern for toe-up socks with me and some light green Bernat Denimstyle yarn that was a gift from Polly at Favorite Apron. (Thank you!!)
Mostly I swatched to figure out if I could work a project from the things I brought with me. As it turned out, I could. Over the next week I taught myself the figure eight cast on and began the pair of Milanese Lace Socks. I did not take pictures as I went along, but here is what they look like now. Since we got home I have only completed about four rows on each.
I usually prefer to work socks with five needles. With the lace panel being on only half the sock at this point it is simpler to keep to four needles. After the heel the lace pattern will be all around the ankle and I hope to go back to five needles.
In the afternoon I took the kids to the rooftop pool at the hotel. Gee, that linked photo was taken on a cloudy day as were the pool photos I took on Thursday. The first few times we swam it was beautiful and sunny, or warm but dark with early evening.
Of course, those times I did not bring the camera.
There were some neat views from the 9th floor roof top too, but with the cold front bringing in thick clouds these do not do justice.
But the weather was perfect for a nice sit in the sauna! The Artist got to experience this for the first time while an envious mom watched through the door with the Engineer!
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