A Wagon, Cats, and a Skunk.. Oh My!

Several years ago, I had found the perfect wagon for the kids.. not your traditional Radio Flyer type wagon, mind you, but an actual heavy duty, run around and use it wagon. A few years back, it was stolen. We were heart broken at the time, but did not replace it for various reasons. As the kids have grown older, I keep thinking back to that wagon and how much fun we had with it. I even went searching for it, just to price it.. and then put it on the wish list of things we will have someday.

Well someday came yesterday. The kids have been wishing that we had a wagon lately, and with our move coming up, and the thought of carrying all those boxes, I was wishing we had THAT wagon. I found it at the local Home Depot, and we went and picked it up just as they were closing. Rawle and the kids had a fantastic time racing through the parking lot at high speed pulling each other around. We must have spent close to an hour in the parking lot! I'm thinking buying the wagon was a really good idea.. we have video of some of the madness that I will get up later.

As we were getting ready to put the wagon in the car and finally leave, I spotted a skunk ambling across the parking lot and into the plants they always keep in front of the garden center. I yelled for everyone to come look. We were quite a distance away from it, but close enough that to get a fairly good look at it. It was larger than the kids had expected a skunk to be. It was the size of a very large cat, or a smaller dog. It was quite furry, and had a very wide stripe down the back of it's black body. And it seriously ambled.. it wasn't quite a walk, and it wasn't a run.. We decided that it was quite cute.. that being said at a distance, of course.

As we were driving away, we saw it in the plants, and circled around to get a closer look. We thought we would try to get a picture.. with the windows closed. When we drove past the plants again, we were amused to start seeing cats among the big pots holding trees. First it was just one sitting next to a pot, and then we spotted a second one lying in a different pot, and two pots behind that, there was a third cat looking quite cozy in yet another pot. We attempted to get pictures in the dark, from the car, with the windows rolled up, with the camera in the cell phone.. not sure if you can actually make anything out from the pictures, but I'll post what I can later.

Wait.. we were talking about a SKUNK.. the skunk didn't seem to bother the cats at all. They turned their heads to look at it with idle curiosity when it made noise, scratching at things, but didn't bother moving in the least. WE must have made quite a picture though.. sitting in the car, driving forwards and backwards repeatedly looking for and following the skunk! After a bit, two of the cats moved. They started chasing bugs at the edge of other pots.. we wondered if that was what the skunk was doing there too.. 

The skunk was quite adept at hiding between pots, and we didn't see much of it, until one of the kids saw it ambling back across the parking lot in front of us towards the drainage ditch. I slowly pulled the car forward to see if we could get closer for a better picture. All of a sudden, the skunk put its big tail up and the tail seemed to spread out flat.. I took that for the warning it was, and did not get any closer. In the car or not, I didn't want to get sprayed! We watched it disappear into the ditch, and then left ourselves.

We had wonderful conversations about skunks and cats, and how animals would rather be left alone than come after a person, or hurt them. After all the vicious dogs in our neighborhood, the kids needed to see that for themselves again. 

Did I mention it is the first live skunk we have ever seen? Very cool..

The Kittens Are Here

Miss Nora, our momma kitty, had her kittens on October 15th. It was a fantastic experience for the boys to watch over Nora all day as she went through labor and gave birth to one kitten at a time. @Cam_Anju has seen it all before, several times in her life, but the boys were finally old enough to be fascinated by the experience.

By the end of the day, Nora gave birth to a total of five kittens. We have learned over the years that some just don't make it. We lost two over the first two days. As said as it was, we took the opportunity to really see the kittens up close, and talk a bit about death.

After 17 days of life, the three remaining kittens are quite strong and healthy. Their eyes have just opened fully as of Thursday, and they are starting to push themselves up on their wobbly little legs and look like cats. They are only beginning to pull themselves around the box, but I'm sure it will be no time at all until we are seeing them running around all over. It is really cute to see Little A hold a kitten on his shoulder, like he is burping a baby, and watch it climb up and settle comfortably there.


The three kittens are each individuals, from the way they look to how they act, just like every baby on Earth. One of them is a solid dark chocolate brown in color, and pees every time we pick it up.. jokes are flying about what we should temporarily name this kitten! The next one is black with white markings.. it looks like a black mask was pulled over it's white face. This made us think of Zorro and earned the kitten the temporary name of El Gato. El Gato is very quiet and calm. The last one is our favorite.. it is almost completely white with gray tips to it's ears and it's nose. This one is quite loud when it is picked up, and the most active in the box. We have given it the temporary name of Bunny.

Did I mention?.. One thing they have in common is that none of them have tails.. Daddy must have been at least part Manx. Muffin is adjusting well to her new siblings, and has decided to be their second mother now. Every time one of them cries, she comes running and stays with them until they are put back in their box and Nora is with them.

I love kittens.. I think we may end up keeping the white one, but it is never too early to start looking for good homes for the other two to go to when they are old enough..

Any takers?!

The Little Box from JumpStart

If you returned after reading yesterday's post, then you know that I left you all hanging on what the contents of the third box from Knowledge Adventure are. For those who don't know, Knowledge Adventure produces wonderful children's computer learning games through the name Jump Start. We've had their CD-Roms around for over a decade now.. the kids have always loved them.

A couple of months ago they came out with their very first ever title for Wii.. "Pet Rescue" for ages 3-6. Knowledge Adventure provided us with a copy, and we got a chance to review it. The kids loved the idea of it, but it was a little basic for them.. after all, they are 6 and 9.  Although there are spaces for different family members to have their own characters, the boys were disappointed that they could not play together. Little A really liked being able to take care of his pet and exploring the game. They both got the hang of using the Wii remotes with the game very quickly.

Over all, the boys decided that they would recommend Jump Start "Pet Rescue" for Wii for younger children.. "It would be fantastic for them!"

We had been asked to review the second Wii title that is due to be released November 17th. This title is designed for 5-9 year olds. Sounds more in our age range.. OF COURSE I SAID YES! We hadn't been expecting it to come so soon.. but there it was, the third box. When we opened it we were greeted by Frankie flying high above punk punks with the enticing words, "Escape From Adventure Island".. a cover I remember voting on a while back on their blog. I have to say it.. I love the case. It is very child friendly and enticing, and lists the skills us parents look for neatly in a corner of the back.

This time the boys very quickly cleaned up what they had been doing. Next thing I know, Little A is in front of me holding the case and jumping up and down. "Can I play it now Mom?! PLEASE!!!!"

Thanks to @growlersworld for providing the video!

Thanks to Knowledge Adventure for providing the copy of "Escape From Adventure Island"

A Monday full of boxes..

Monday was a huge day for us! We had been expecting a small delivery from "the big, brown truck" with a new video card to replace the one I fried this summer. I thought the boys would be excited about that.. it was their computer after all. But in the interim, a new computer entered the house for @Cam_Anju and the boys got her old one. Result.. great mom, I'm going to play on the computer... Newer, faster technology didn't even spark their interest.. hmmm.

Back to the story.. instead of one box, we got three. Three? Hmmm.. the second one we were expecting later that week.. but a third box?! 

The second box contained a birthday present from my boyfriend. I knew what it was.. I ordered it. But there it was, nine days early, sitting on the living room floor.. begging to be opened. I finally opened it that evening.. a brand new laptop with Windows 7 on it. It is my first laptop.. and after a few days, I am wondering if I need my desktop anymore.. hmmm. I am also happy to say that so far I am loving Windows 7.. might just upgrade the entire house to it in time with that nifty family bundle upgrade price Microsoft is offering.. hmmm.

The third box? Oh yeah.. that one.. the return label showed Knowledge Adventure.. come back tomorrow to find out what was inside..

Modeling Instead of Teaching

This all started because of a tweet.. "The best thing you can teach your children is to have a love for learning."

Not a bad thought, until it was rightly pointed out that all children are born with a love for learning. I know that.. I teach that to others!

Okay, so I reworded it to better reflect what I meant. "The best thing you can model for your child is YOUR love of learning." That's better. Since when has anyone ever forced MEANINGFUL learning on another? And teaching to a non receptive crowd qualifies as forced learning in my book... 

What I mean is this.. if you give a child the tools to learn, if you teach them how to use those tools, if you allow them to follow their passions, AND if you let them SEE YOU LEARNING (or model your love for learning), they will succeed in life. They will succeed at anything their heart desires because they will know how to.

Pass The Plate

No, it probably isn't what you are thinking..

I was thinking about how much I am supposed to do in a day.. and I have had it pointed out to me time and again that I am always trying to do too much. There have been points in my life that this was by my own choice, and other points where it was by necessity. Right now, it is by necessity.

If you list out all the things you, yourself, are supposed to get done each day (or each week or each month), how long of a list is that? Is it really something that is reasonable for anyone to accomplish? 

Now think about that one seriously moms.. I know all of us moms believe that we SHOULD BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT.. as if we were some sort of superhero or something... 

We are moms, so we have children to look after, a house to look after.. wife, girlfriend, significant other.. so we have a relationship and our other half to look after (doesn't matter if they should be able to take care of themselves, we always look after them!).. daughter and grand daughter.. sometimes it is easy to keep up those relationships, other times it takes a lot of energy from us.. some of us are sisters.. more relationships to look after.. 

How many other groups do you belong to that you have responsibilities to.. church, book club, scouts.. How many of us have a job we are responsible to, whether it is out of the house or something we handle from at home? 

Have you noticed?.. I haven't even mentioned the responsibilities we have to ourselves.. how often do we forget to take care of ourselves?.. How often do we put it off because we need to get something else done?

Go ahead, make your list.. and this isn't just a mom only exercise.. I encourage you to do this whether you are a mom, dad, grandmother, grandfather, wife, husband, son, or daughter.. make a list of everything you are responsible for. Now congratulate yourself for all that you do.. it really is a lot. 

For those of us that look at our list and realize that it is not humanly possible to achieve all of that, especially to the standard of quality we expect.. maybe it is time we learned a new lesson. Maybe it is time to let someone else take over some of those things on our plates.. maybe we need to learn how to let go.. 

maybe we need to learn how to pass the plate..

Where'd you go?!

The computer is finally working again! Remind me to organize getting sick and the computer breaking down better next time! This has been too long and I have been going nuts without being able to do my regular stuff.. like posting here!

I will try to catch up on things over the next week, and let you know what has been going on over here at our house.. but for now, here's a few pages I have out there in other places on the internet that just might be worth looking at, or seeing again!

Have you seen...?
A New Way to Look at Home Schooling!
7 Tips To Beat A Bad Mood
Green Smoothie Recipes
Childrens Computer Games - Reviews & Find Them Cheap
Being Gluten Free
Fat. The Myths, The Truth, and Why It Is Good
Allergic To Everything

All right, I'll let you explore the rest on your own!
My HubPages Profile
My Squidoo Profile

I'll be back soon!

Learning To Let Go

So many times in order to move on with our lives, we need to learn to let go of what is past. This can be an emotional process that is often fraught with pain. So many times we have locked things deep inside and are afraid to bring them back up. Other times we have memories of things that are gone, and we don't want to lose those so we cling tightly. Holding on to all of these old memories, and often physical possessions to match, can be quite detrimental to our emotional health. Did you know it can also effect your physical health?

Some of you may know that my mother has spent this year dealing with an extremely rare form of breast cancer. It has been a long year.. it started with, "I have these lumps.. any thoughts what they might be?" From there doctor's visits, and finding out it was breast cancer. Then we found out it was this rare form that was not so easily dealt with. Luckily my mother happens to currently reside in a town that is a prominent research facility for breast cancer.. little did they know when they moved there a few years back.. It is also a town of alternative medicine, and treatment that includes complementary medicine was developed for her. The spring and summer saw her go through chemotherapy, and this fall has seen a double mastectomy. And I am happy to say that the tests have come back showing no sign of cancer at this point.

It is interesting to learn of all the various modalities she has learned over the course of this year, so many that I was able to help her learn, and others that I learned from her.. She has gone through major changes to her diet, including removing allergens and adding in more raw produce. She has gone to regular energy therapy sessions, weekly acupuncture appointments, and read through a not so small library on health and cancer.

Of all the things she learned, she shared one thing that she thinks was the biggest cause of her cancer, and she cautioned me not to let it catch me unaware. It is probably not what you think. It is not genetic.. turns out that genetic only accounts for 10% of your chance of developing cancer. Food and chemical toxins are sure to have played a part in the development, cause, and exasperation of her cancer as with anyone else's. But the largest part of her cancer she says was emotional.. It was all of the memories that she held on to and wouldn't let go of.

She has become a different person as she has let go of so many memories that have caused her such pain over the years. She says it was actually fairly easy for her to learn to let go. Her choice was simple.. let the disease of cancer ravage her body and kill her, or let go of things so long over.

She says my choice may not be so easy.. after all, I still see plenty of life ahead of me. But I think that I will learn from her, and learn to let go of what is past. It may not be as simple of a task for me, but it will only be as hard as I make it. The pain is in the resistance. What about you? What are you hanging onto that is slowly choking the life out of your body.. are you willing to die for those memories.. or..

Can you learn to let go?

Inner Strength - Where Does It Come From?

Inner strength.. it is that drive that keeps us moving forward through any adversity. Where does it come from? I mean where did we originally learn it?

I have heard quite a bit recently from others that I am a strong person, yet I see myself as so weak. As this is an occurrence which repeats itself on a regular basis, I hope you will indulge me as I explore my thoughts on the idea of inner strength, what it is, and where we learn it...

Life happens, problems occur.. when that happens we simply face it and keep going, right? This is what others say they see in me, the reason they see me as so strong, because I pick up the pieces and keep going. Is it really that hard to do? Is that really what inner strength is? 

If that is what inner strength is, where do we learn it from? Is it something that we are taught, get from experience, or are we born with it? Recent conversations have led me to the thought that if we are taught as children that we are always surrounded by people who we can turn to for help, that this builds up our inner strength. I may have had a difficult childhood, though not as difficult as others by any means, but I have always known that I have family, friends, and strangers in general even, who will be there to help me if I just ask.. if I just say that I need help. 

I was recently reminded of this as my car sat dead in my driveway, unable to start. I spent a week trying to figure out on my own what was wrong, trying to avoid asking for help.. and the car still sat dead in my driveway. I finally caved in (interesting choice of words!) and called a friend I thought might be able to help me. After turning the problem over to them, I felt such a sense of relief.. I knew I had finally done the right thing. A few days of research, and a half an hour with my car, and it runs again! And I waited for a week to call my friend why?!

Which was the inner strength.. me sitting on my own failing at figuring it out, or me calling a friend and turning the problem over to them? 

I would love to hear your thoughts.. please leave a comment.