Sweetwater Creek State Park

My family and I took the History Hike out at Sweetwater Creek state park this past Saturday. We had a guide who was very familiar with the history of the area take us along the red trail and down to the Civil War textile mill. Along the way he gave us the history of the area as well as of the mill. Very cool. He had pictures taken from the early 1900's of the various buildings that were there and people from the area. He also showed us where the damage was from the floods in 2009.

The old textile mill

A toad found at the mill

A spring that's along the trail to the mill.. theory has it was a watering hole for horses taking supplies to/from the mill

I played with the panoramic picture capability of my camera and got this picture of the creek just below the mill

Sweetwater Creek

Lilburn 100th Birthday Celebration

My daughter and I went to the celebration in downtown Lilburn on Saturday. They had bands playing, inflatables for the kids, jamaican food, and free cake! The bouncies were $3, but you got to stay on them as much as you wanted. My daughter bounced on the bouncies, played on the playground and ate the cake. Then we came home. :)

4H petting zoo

My son is in 4H as a 6th grader (CloverLeaf) and my daughter is what's called a CloverBud. They volunteered to work the 4H petting zoo out at the Gwinnett County Fair one morning while there were preschool field trips going on. They were in charge of chicks and ducklings with some other student volunteers.

Gwinnett County Fair

My kids and I took advantage of one of the discount wristband days at the Fair and went last Thursday. Wrist bands were $18 each unless you had an empty coke can with you at which point they were $15 each. Not ideal, but not too shabby either. They definitely took full advantage of being able to ride all the rides. We didn't make it to all of them, unfortunately. The crowd was pretty big and not everyone wanted to ride everything.

This was actually included in the wrist bands this year. Normally it isn't. Unfortunately, they've also changed the height requirements and my daughter wasn't tall enough. So she did the slide (above) while my son did the bungees.

These were called Hamster Balls. They load the child into a plastic ball which then sits on top of a pool of water maybe 2 ft deep. They then try to walk on water. Very funny to watch.

We met up with friends while we were there and my kids convinced one of the others to do the tilt-a-whirl with them. He kept his eyes closed the entire time.

At the end, I indulged my kids and got them a funnel cake. Due to cost ($6 ea)I made them share, but it's probably just as well. I'm not sure either was awake enough to fully indulge a whole one.

Aquarium - Free & Home School

Just a note - you'll be able to find me this Sunday from 10-2 at Atlantic Station for the EcoLife fair representing the Aquarium.

Starting TODAY and running through Sunday: Pirate Weekend! Kids 12 and under in costume get in free with paid adult (or member). More information on the Aquarium web site.

For my home school friends:

Home School Day, October 5, 2010 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Annually, Georgia Aquarium offers a Home School Day where homeschoolers are invited to come and use the Aquarium as a living laboratory. We will have activity stations, arts & crafts and gallery carts for students to explore while learning about our aquatic animals and ecosystems. Activities will be age/grade appropriate.

Cost: $15 per person for admission. Order tickets online or purchase in person. Everyone must purchase a ticket to enter the Aquarium and a Home School Letter of Intent must be shown at check-in, located just inside the main entrance.

You can get more information on the Aquarium web site.

Home for Rent (Stone Mountain)

My parents renters are moving out at the end of this month and I'm helping them find new occupants. There's a lot of information on the home's web site including a photo-tour.

New resident

I was tracking down a cat yesterday, when I was surprised by an unusual sight in my bathroom. I wasn't sure if I was crazy, so I went into the bathroom and it disappeared. I wandered back a while later and saw this guy peeking out from under the toilet. How in the world he/she got there, I haven't a clue. To say the least, I'm mildly perturbed that he showed up there. My daughter, though, was thrilled. She's relocated him to her tank which has been waiting for a lizard. Ta da! Free blue tailed skink (missing most of its tail). Hmph. From my upstairs bathroom, of all places.

Review: A Christmas Prayer

A Christmas Prayer by Amy Parker is a wonderful book! A book about a child who puts together their own prayer on Christmas eve. It presents the true meaning of Christmas through a child's eyes. Praying not for toys or gifts, but for those who brought us Christmas so many years ago. Giving thanks for the gifts that were given to us, the child presents their Christmas Prayer.

A great little board book with very nice illustrations. Good for both young hands to hold and for adult hands to help read. A wonderful addition to any child's library, or even an adult's.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Indian Festival at Ocmulgee National Monument

My family and a friend and her family went down to Ocmulgee (just south of Macon) on Sunday to see their Indian Festival. It was partially a chance for my kids to get the chance to meet other kids from GCA and partially just a fun trip. It really is something you should do over two days (which is how long it runs) instead of one, though we did as much as we could. There was just so much to see and do that I think if we do it again, we'll camp at a local campground to enjoy both days.

Twice each day they had an opening ceremony with honor guard

These are some of the Choctaw dancers.. This was a really talented flautist..

We didn't get to see these guys do their thing, but they did look good on horse..

An encampment reenactment..

Stuff you might have found in an Indian camp..

The demonstrations and booths weren't the only things you could see. Ocmulgee is a large Indian monument that you can enter one mound to see what it looks like, several mounds you can climb, and otherwise a lot of really nice trails to walk.

Painted Lady

We picked up a butterfly kit when we visited the gardens in Gainesville, FL this summer. My daughter and I finally sent off for our caterpillars and set them up in her room. Earlier this week they formed their chrysalis and we moved them to their 'tent'.

Wednesday evening, we found these in the tent. One chrysalis hadn't opened yet.

We've got several bushes out in our yard to support butterflies and added some milkweed at the end of summer too. In a few days (or a week), we'll release them outside.

Note: as of this evening, the third chrysalis had opened

Bazooka Bubblegum

Sometimes I think I have too much time on my hands to go around finding videos like this..

Abraham Lincoln - Atlanta History Center

I took my kids out to the Atlanta History Center yesterday to check out their new Abraham Lincoln exhibit. It was a home school day with a lot of programs for the kids to learn about Abraham Lincoln Pre-Presidency. We did a jeopardy game, which my kids kept asking me the answers for. We toured the exhibit (kinda cool) and visited the Tullie Smith Farm which had several demonstrations going on.

The first was a vist from a 23 year old Abe We stopped by the blacksmith too..

My kids being silly..

My daughter in her Abe hat..

It's Mom-Abe!

Too Funny

Hoarders (and stuff)

What does it say about our society that (according to the program "Hoarders: Buried Alive") there are 3+ million people in our country that are hoarders? I would guess we would first need to describe hoarding to understand hoarder. According to the Webster's Dictionary, a hoard is a cache or stockpile. Of what is open to interpretation. You can hoard thoughts and ideas as well as objects. Going by that simple definition, we could say anyone that uses coupons to stock up on non-perishables on sale is a hoarder. However, I believe the show is using a 'hoarding in the extreme' definition more than a simple one. The point at which hoarding becomes a lifestyle hazard than a lifestyle benefit.

Still, the fact that there are 3 million people in our country that have this problem is a scary thought. Our culture is considered such a throw-away that we're having to retrain our brains to recycle. Then there are those who have overcompensated going the other direction. We need to be more aware of those around us so that we can help who we can. Running away from our problems never solved anything and generally only compounds the issue. This applies to more than just hoarding. Homelessness, child abuse, animal abuse, etc etc etc. So, what can we do about it? That depends on you. You take what steps you feel comfortable with and make what changes to yourself and those around you that you can. From those you affect, they can spread it to the ones they can affect. It only takes one person to start the flow.

Images to remember 9-11

American Kid

Gotta thank a friend of my son's for bringing this song to my attention, wanted to share it before tomorrow.

Review: Patton - The Pursuit of Destiny

Patton - The Pursuit of Destiny by Agostino Von Hassell and Ed Breslin. A very interesting book with a different perspective on the well known General. Most people who have heard of General Patton either know only of what major accomplishments he had while in the military, or what they saw in the movie. This goes deeper into the psyche of the man himself and includes the influences that made him that way.

Patton was originally from a fairly well off family. The family itself had a history of its men in the military, from the Civil War onward. This history included Patton's grandfather, father and the man himself attending VMI (Virginia Military Institute). It also included several cases of the men being lost during war. With a family history steeped in military careers, it was a given that George Smith Patton, Jr. would go that way as well.

He was also an excellent motivator who believed in practicing what you preach. He learned early on to always have his bible with him. He was also a major believer in always learning more. He was constantly learning new ways and methods for improving his skills as a military commander and as a leader of the upper society. While he made many gaffes in his life, he was constantly learning from his mistakes. In fact, despite many setbacks in his life and many bouts with depression, he always continued on. He considered the setbacks something to be conquered and did so.

Patton includes his relationship with his family, particularly his wife, as great influences on his life. It covers his military career at length giving detail that has otherwise been overlooked but which helps the reader understand more of what motivated Patton. The book also displays many of Patton's skills that are generally overlooked, such as his capability for training outstanding soldiers. All together, this is a great recounting of Patton's life and his military career.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers' program. I was not required to write a positive review. Everything that I have posted here is my honest opinion of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”