"We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them." - Francis A. Walker

Albino Alligators

If you hadn't heard, the Aquarium has a pair of albino alligators now on exhibit. You'll find them in the River Scout gallery. They're very cool to look at.

It's the first day of...

5th grade graduation

I don't remember there being a graduation, so to speak, when I moved out of elementary (in 7th) to high school (for 8th). These days, though, they do celebrate elementary to middle school transitions. So, today we celebrate my son moving from 5th grade to 6th grade. A very momentous day for him. Soo...

to him and all his fellow 5th graders on their graduation day

Georgia Cyber Academy

It's official. My children were given seats for the 2010-2011 school year at the Georgia Cyber Academy. I sort of posted this on facebook, but until I got the official email and info from GCA, I wasn't going to blog about it. While my children will be at home while at school, it's NOT home schooling. Their schedule will be relatively flexible (both have to attend a certain number of hours each day), I can have them start in the morning, take a break and finish in the afternoon. They will have to work with a teacher, though not necessarily in person. They will have text books (provided by the academy) that they will work out of. They will also use their computers.

It is a Georgia chartered public school, so there are no fees involved. It's accredited through the state, so I don't have to worry about placement if we move or change schools again. Of course, if we move, the school moves too, which works for me.

As a result of this, though, I won't be able to be a substitute teacher. It's all in the trade offs and compromises.

Free/Cheap movies this summer

Each summer the main theaters offer summer movies as entertainment for the kiddos. Here's the info I found.

Regal Cinemas Free Movies

Usually AMC has a matching or similar program. This year it looks like it'll be $1 movies, but there's no info online yet.

Screen on the Green at Centennial Park

Art Work

When I was at the school Tuesday, I was subbing for one of the art teachers. One of the assignments for the day was for the kids to take their initial and stylize it (ie; old caligraphy art). So, while they did theirs, I did mine. Here's the end result. You may have to zoom in to see the detail.

Heritage Girls Award Ceremony/Cross-over

Award Ceremony - my daughter receiving her awards for the year.

My daughter's group of Heritage Girls crossed over from Tenderheart to Explorer Monday night. My camera wasn't cooperating, so I apologize for the quality of pictures.

Braves' Game

We went to the Braves game on Sunday and had a lot of fun. Here are a few images I managed to get that are relatively clear. We were sitting in section 415.

Books to read

my read shelf:

Random Picture Day

I think my cat is telling me something and I don't think it's repeatable..

Happy Anniversary to Us!

17 years, hard to believe.

Georgia Ren Fest

Goofy Cat

My senior cat deciding to sleep in a Danimals Smoothies box.

Knock Out Roses

I took pictures of my roses after the last storm.

3rd grade field day

My daughter participated in several events at th 3rd grade field day. Not pictured is the one lap race where she took 5th place.

Throwing the bean bag 4 person relay Tug of War

5th Grade field day

My son's class were the Potato Heads Frisbee toss for accuracy, they had to get as close to the orange cone as possible Bean bag toss for distance Class tug-of-war

For all the Moms

Really Cool Program

A friend of mine from Cub Scouts made me aware of Fernbank's Science Night Out last year. My kids enjoyed it, so I'm sending them back tonight. It's a few hours out for the kids doing hands-on science projects. The topics vary by night. Your kids do have to be in 3rd-6th, though, so it's not for the little guys.

Service Project

My son's troop went out to Stone Mountain this past Saturday to help a group called FODAC with their fun run/walk fundraiser. The boys helped set-up and take down tables/tents/etc as well as with the activities. Other than getting there too early on a Saturday, the boys seemed to have fun. I know I did and I was (technically) just a spectator. I did, though, meet up with a friend of my parents there and end up helping him out with funnel cakes.

Setting up My son and another scout served food to participants

Book Review & Giveaway:

Daisy Chain Reviews is doing a Book Review & Giveaway: Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James.

CoolCanucks Blog Contest ~ Eureka! Tents Review & Giveaway!!

CoolCanucks Blog Contest ~ Eureka! Tents Review & Giveaway!! Win a really cool tent, great for boy scouts!

Dove Piticure (Review)

I was asked a couple of weeks ago if I had ever had a piticure. Having no idea what that was, I said no. I was shipped a sample of Dove Ultimate and instructions on how to do a proper piticure (see video).

So I gave I've given it a try for the last two weeks. I wanted to make sure that it actually made a difference. I have to say that it works pretty well. I've used Dove before, though my reason for doing so has been it's price versus the price of other brands, not for how well it worked. It turns out that it generally works at least as well as other moisturizing deodorants (of which there are few) and it is cheaper than the others (2.6 oz. / SRP $3.89 - $4.88 -> you can usually find coupons too). More bang for the buck, I like that a lot.

Once I started making notes of what was and wasn't working, my underarms don't itch half as badly when the hair starts to regrow. The underarm area itself is relatively smooth as well. Overall, I really liked the product. There are several options so that you can get the one best suited to your needs.

Four types of personalized protection combine 24-odor and wetness protection with distinctive skincare benefits:

Dove Ultimate is available in the following offerings: Beauty Care, Sensitive Care, Visibly Smooth and go fresh * Ultimate Beauty Care – includes a tri-moisturizing system that soothes shaving irritation and helps replenish delicate underarm skin, available in:

* NEW Light Radiance * NEW Sheer Silk * Smooth Cashmere * Original Clean

* Ultimate Sensitive Care – Hypo-allergenic, fragrance-free formula delivers outstanding underarm skincare benefits with a tri-moisturizing system to soothe shaving irritation and help replenish delicate underarm skin, available in:

* Fragrance Free * Ultimate Visibly Smooth – minimizes the look and feel of underarm hair over time with a unique formula containing Pro-Epil complex, available in: * Wild Rose * Nature Fresh

* Ultimate go fresh – bursts of freshness in four deliciously cool fragrances that include Dove1/4 Translucent Moisturizers™ and can be a paired with a matching body mist for all over freshness, available in:

* NEW Revive – pomegranate and lemon verbena * Burst – nectarine and white ginger * Energize – grapefruit and lemongrass * Cool Essentials– cucumber and green tea

You can get more product information from the Dove web site.

*Disclaimer - I was not paid for this review. I was given a sample of the product and asked to give my honest opinion of it and then to share it with my fellow bloggers.

Random Picture Day

Kodak Easyshare (Giveaway)

The new Babies documentary comes out soon and Bookroom Reviews is giving a Kodak Easyshare away. You can see a gallery of pictures for the documentary here. Both are definitely worth checking out.

Teacher Appreciation Week

Just a reminder that that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week. If you like your child's teacher and appreciate all they do, SHOW IT!

Oreck Halo (giveaway)

Barefoot Mommies and Oreck are giving away an Oreck Halo vacuum. Check out her review and enter the giveaway. It's quick and you could win.

Bakugan Battle Trainer for DS (giveaway)

Bookroom Reviews is giving away a copy of Bakugan Battle Trainer for the Nintendo DS. You can get more info by heading on over.

Fitness Friday- Go-Lite Gear (Giveaway)

Sticky Fingerprints is giving away a really cool wind jacket, good for running and walking. Check it out for more information.

For my Mom